A Roserade's Wish
by Theta-Shuffle
Summary: For most of her life, Sophia wanted nothing more than for the man she loved to return the same feelings to her. But on a fateful night, the grass type pokemon makes a wish that will change her life forever. Follow Sophia as she embarks from the effects of her wish, and faces the implications it will cause. (First Story) (Main story revisions are complete!)
1. Chapter 1

_"Could he love me?'_

The thought bounced around her head constantly, which made the roserade frown. Ever since the day he caught her as a budew, he trained her, helped her evolve, and traveled with her throughout the world. In that time the pokemon grew more and more attracted to him, but can the same be said for him? Could he love her as much as she did?

 _"I'm a roserade, a pokemon, and he's a human.'_ She continued to think to herself. _"I know that there are laws that prohibit romantic relationships between humans and pokemon, but could he look past that?'_ She desperately wanted to believe that. The roserade wanted to believe that he had those feelings for her. But the more she thought about it, the more it came to her that he'll probably say that he loves her as a friend, and nothing more. It broke her heart, hearing those words ricochet around her head. She wished that there was a way, a way that he could he love her.

"Sophia?"

The grass type pokemon snapped back into reality and shook her head a couple times before looking up. A person stood in front of her, concern covering his chocolate brown eyes. He had a darker complexion then most other humans the roserade has seen. He wore a dark grey zip-up jacket with a blue t-shirt underneath it, blue denim jeans, and black sneakers. He also wore a gray beanie that covered most of his curly hair, said hair could almost reach his shoulders if he would brush it down. He took a seat next to the roserade, who was sitting down on a couch.

"You feeling alright Sophia? You look a little down," he said with worry in his voice. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

 _"Aaron... if only I could tell you...'_ the green pokemon thought and shook her head, denying his offer. _"If you could understand me, I would tell you how I truly feel.'_

Aaron still had a concerned look on his face. "Are you sure?" he asked, receiving a nod from the roserade a second later. He sighed before he got up, unintentionally making the pokemon frown. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to tell me. I want you to be happy, little Sophia." He smiled again

The pokemon pouted at his remark, disliking that he called her little. He chuckled and walked towards the front door of the house before saying, "I'm going out for a bit, gotta pick up several things at the market for the dinner I'm making. I'll be back in a little bit, okay?" Sophia nodded, earning another smile from him. "Alright, see you when I get back." With that, he opened the door and left, closing and locking it behind him.

Sophia sighed and around the house she and Aaron lived in. It was smaller than most of the other homes in the neighborhood, housing two bedrooms, a single bathroom, a small kitchen, and a living room that was combined with a dining room. The house was settled in a suburb not far from a large city named Castelia, all of which were located in the unova region. Aaron and Sophia moved into the house after the teen decided to retire from his journey as a trainer.

The pokemon played a small smile as those memories came to her, remembering the days of traveling around the world with everyone. They've been almost everywhere, from the faraway kanto region, to the nearby sinnoh region. In each of them, they've battled countless trainers and fought league after league. They've won many battles, along with having their fair share of defeats. But that didn't bother the group, because they would learn from their losses and improve from their mistakes.

 _"I wonder how they're doing...'_ Sophia thought about her previous partners, the pokemon she traveled and battled together with. The first pokemon of the group that came to mind was the braviary named George, who ruled the skies in battle. Then came Steven, a zoroark who would trick his opponents by disguising himself as another pokemon in the group. Third was a mismagius named Grace, who would crush opposing normal and fighting type pokemon due to her typing and move pool.

The fourth was Megan, the lapras of the group. While she's not as mobile as the other pokemon on land, she was a force to be reckoned with when she battled within water arenas. The fifth pokemon was a gallade named Kevin. His skills with his arm blades were unmatched, allowing him to cut down the opposition with total ease. Last but not least came Sophia herself, the roserade. Thanks to her typing, she was often seen spreading status effects on the enemy pokemon, effectively weakening them for finishing blows.

For years they traveled together with Aaron, who, like most other trainers, started his journey at the age of ten. When he turned eighteen however, he came to a sudden halt and retired, which horribly confused the party. He settled down in unova, stating that he was exhausted from the traveling and that this is where it would end.

But not wanting his pokemon to live boring lives, the teen gave his team two choices. Either he could send them off into the wild were they could live freely, or he could give them to trustworthy trainers that he met on his journey. The group was very reluctant at first, not wanting to separate from the peers they've known for so long. It took several days for each of them to choose an option, all of which were sad to do so. Steven, George and Megan returned to the wild, while Kevin and Grace went with new trainers. All of the pokemon gave their goodbyes to each other and to Aaron before they went on with their choices. Everyone was gone, except for Sophia.

She was the only one that didn't leave, and choose to stay with Aaron. At first, the teen denied the pokemon and told her she had to choose one of the options. But she refused and clung onto his leg, showing him what she meant. Aaron warned her that she would get bored if she lived with him, but she didn't let go and started to cry softly. Such a sight made the teen's heart ache in sadness and pity. He tried to resist, but the pokemon's misfortune was too much for him to handle, so he gave in. He told her she could stay with him, but warned her that it could be incredibly boring. But Sophia didn't care, for she was ecstatic by his decision, and was forever grateful to him.

Ever since that day, they moved into the house and lived in unova. Despite the house being smaller than the others in the neighborhood, it was cozy to the duo. Sophia usually remained within the house while Aaron would be out for most of the day, saying that he was 'going to work'. The grass type pokemon had no idea where his job was, nor did she know what it actually was either. All she knew that he was gone for most of the day and that he would return either late into the afternoon or at night.

The roserade let out a sigh as she went back to her previous thoughts. Could a human and a pokemon be in a romantic relationship? She wanted to believe that more than anything, but there are so many obstacles in the way that it might be impossible. First was the law that prevented said relationships from happening, which Sophia despised. The second obstacle was him probably not loving her the way she loved him, which made her sad. The third and final was that there was a chance he could love someone else. There are several human females that he considered his friends, and there's a chance that one of them could love him. Not to mention that he could love them back as well.

 _"I really shouldn't be thinking about these things,'_ Sophia thought to herself as she jumped off the couch. _"They'll just damper my mood.'_ She looked over at the clock hanging on one of the walls and saw that it was four thirty-eight. Knowing that Aaron would be gone for a while, she tried to find something to do to pass the time. She glanced at the T.V, but quickly shook her head afterwards. _"I don't think anything interesting is on_ , _'_ she thought. The pokemon looked over towards the kitchen and shook her head once more. _"Aaron said he was going to make dinner, so I shouldn't eat anything.'_

Sophia sighed, deciding that she should take a nap to wait out his return. It beats sitting around and waiting, which would make her die of boredom. She walked to the main bedroom and jumped onto the bed. It was king sized and was covered in large blue blankets and white pillows. Laying down in her usual spot, the pokemon yawned and closed her eyes, slowing falling asleep. She thought about Aaron before drifting off into her slumber.

* * *

The grass type pokemon felt a nudging sensation on her shoulder. It was enough to wake her, but she kept her eyes closed. After the nudging passed, the roserade heard Aaron's voice.

"Wakey wakey sleepy head," he said, his voice echoing in her mind. "C'mon little Sophia, wake up~."

Sophia felt irritated, disliking that he called her little again. She opened her crimson eyes and saw Aaron's face inches away from her's. She blushed, which made the teen smile.

"Hey there sleepy head, took you long enough to get up. I just finished dinner," he said while she got up. The roserade rubbed her flower hands against her eyes to get the sleep out of them; Aaron hummed lightly and started to walk towards the door. "C'mon, I already have your bowl ready for you," he said casually as he headed towards the dining room. Sophia jumped off the bed and followed him slowly, still feeling drowsy from the short nap she had.

Once they got to the dining room, the roserade noticed two bowls sitting on the table; both bowls where full of berries. Aaron approached the table and pulled out one of the chairs underneath it. Several large books were on the seat, which acted as a booster. The teen motioned the pokemon over, which she did. He gently grabbed her small body and placed her on the books, then pushed the chair over to the table. Sophia now had a full view of the contents of the bowl in front of her, seeing all of the individual fruits.

"Dig in," Aaron said while getting into his own seat on the other side of the table. "I made this salad with all of your favorite berries. Enjoy!"

Sophia used her vines to pick up the various berries and ate them. The fruit were small, but were incredibly sweet to the grass type pokemon. The duo ate in silence for a while, neither of them having anything to say. It wasn't until they were almost finished did Aaron perk up.

"Y'know Sophia, I heard that there's going to be a meteor shower tomorrow night." The teen smiled to the pokemon. "Such a thing is rare around these parts, and the whole sky is going to be full of them. Do you what to watch it with me? It'll be an awesome experience!"

The pokemon paused for a second, wondering what a meteor shower was. But she quickly gave him a nod, accepting his offer.

The teen quickly smiled back and said, "Great! I heard that it should start around eight'o'clock. I'll try to be home around that time, to be ready for it, okay?"

Sophia gave him another nod, feeling excited that she'll get to see something she's never heard of before. The duo smiled and finished the rest of their food. Aaron took their bowls to the kitchen and placed them in the sink, while Sophia jumped off her chair and yawned, feeling sleepy again.

"Tired, huh?" Aaron asked when he returned to the room. "Well, it is late, guess we should get some shut eye." The teen yawned as he walked to the bathroom. "I'm gonna change before I head to bed, so go on without me." Aaron motioned his hands towards the bedroom before disappearing into the bathroom.

Sophia nodded lightly before she made her way to the bedroom slowly. Once she got there, she climbed onto the bed and got under the large blue blankets. After a couple minutes, Aaron entered the room, wearing a gray t-shirt and long purple plaid flannel pants. His beanie was gone, revealing his long curly black hair that was strung all over the place. Sophia giggled at the sight, which made Aaron smile along with shaking his head lightly. The teen got under the blankets and embraced the grass-type pokemon, who quickly nuzzled her head into his chest.

"Goodnight, Sophia..." Aaron whispered before he closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep afterwards.

Sophia hummed to him, giving him her own version of 'goodnight'. The pokemon closed her eyes as well, falling into her own slumber. But before she fell asleep, the thought from earlier echoed in her head.

 _"Could he love me? Could he love me like how I love him? I can only hope so... It would make my dreams come true... My dreams of being in love with Aaron for the rest of my life...'_

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _The first chapter is revised! Finally! I mentioned before that I was going to revise these chapters, mostly fixing the errors I missed and changing the first couple of chapters from first person to third person, since the rest of the story is in third person. (So to you newcomers, don't be surprised if you see the other chapters in first person and are covered with mistakes, I'm going to fix that.)_

 _If you guys see any errors in the revisions, please don't hesitate to tell me! I want these chapters to be readable, so I want as few errors as possible!_

 _Until next time!_

 ** _Theta-Shuffle_**


	2. Chapter 2

_"Use flare blitz!" The opposing trainer exclaimed. The trainer's pokemon, an emboar, engulfed itself in flames, then blasted off like a missile straight towards Kevin. Being too exhausted from a previous battle, the gallade was unable to dodge, and took the attack at full force. He recoiled back violently, then fell over, completely knocked out._

 _"Kevin, return. You did a great job," Aaron said with a grin as he zapped Kevin back into his poke-ball. Despite having his pokemon knocked out, his remained calm. The teen glanced down at his roserade, who was shaking at the sight of the opposing fire type pokemon._

 _The opposing trainer laughed loud enough for the Aaron and Sophia to hear. "I guess I already won this battle," he said confidently._

 _Aaron shrugged off the trainer's words. "It's not over yet," he said with another grin._

 _The other trainer gave a smile of his own. "Oh is it? I didn't realize a roserade, a GRASS type, stood a chance agasint an emboar, a FIRE type."_

 _A light chuckle emerged from Aaron's mouth. "You'd be surprised," he said, keeping his smile. "_ _ **Novice**_ _."_

 _"'Novice'?!" The trainer snarled at the name and swept his hand in anger. "That's it! Emboar, end this battle! Use heat crash!" As instructed, the opposing emboar jumped into the air and front flipped itself rapidly, becoming surrounded in a yellow ball of fire shortly afterwards._

 _"Hold Sophia," Aaron said calmly._

 _The roserade quickly looked back at her trainer in disbelief._ "You want me to just stand here?!' _she thought._ "I'll get crushed!'

 _"Trust me," the teen said in a reassuring voice when he saw the fear in Sophia's eyes. A shadow loomed over the roserade, causing her to glance upwards. The emboar was still covered in blazing yellow fire and flew over Sophia. To her horror, it started to fall towards her quickly. However, once it got close enough, Aaron yelled out, "Jump back!"_

 _The grass-type pokemon gulped before hopping backwards quickly, narrowly dodging the sphere of fire. Sophia would've sighed in relief if Aaron hadn't barked out his next order._

 _"Now Sophia! Use hidden power!"_

 _Still in the air, the roserade concentrated and created several beige colored spheres around her flower hands. She quickly shot them at the fire-type, who was recovering from its missed attack. The emboar didn't have time to dodge, and was struck by the spheres. It gasped in pain as the attack made contact and jumped back toward its trainer._

 _"Wh-what?! What was that?!" The trainer stammered._

 _"Hidden power," Aaron replied with a smirk. "It's a move that varies in typing for each pokemon. For my roserade, her hidden power's typing is ground; which, last time I checked, is super effective against fire types."_

 _The trainer quickly shook off his shocked expression and replaced it with a glare. "That changes nothing! Quickly emboar! Use head smash!"_

 _The fire type pokemon followed his order and covered itself in blue energy. Once it gathered enough energy, the emboar shot through the air head first at the roserade. Sophia stared at the incoming attack with wide eyes, afraid of the damage the emboar would cause._

 _"Wait for it..." Aaron said quietly, but loud enough for the roserade to hear. When the fire type pokemon got close enough to Sophia, he barked out his next command. "Dash towards the right Sophia!"_

 _The grass type pokemon blinked before dashing herself over towards the right, narrowly dodging another attack from the emboar. The fire type pokemon smashed into the ground head first and groaned in pain from the recoil._

 _"Now! While it's vulnerable! Finish it off with a sludge bomb!" Aaron exclaimed._

 _Sophia aimed her rose hand at the fallen fire type; a sphere made of purple sludge started to form from it. Once it was large enough, the roserade shot it at the emboar, who was still on the ground. The fire type yelled in pain as the large poisonous bomb crashed onto it's body. The emboar tried to get up, but it quickly fell back down, letting out a final groan before it fell unconscious._

 _The roserade blinked, surprised that she actually beat a fire-type, one of her weaknesses. She looked at her trainer and saw that he was smiling at her._

 _"Great job Sophia," he said proudly. "I knew you could do it."_

 _Sophia smiled back, feeling elated over her victory. Aaron approached the roserade and gave her a pat on the head, leaning down as he did. The grass type pokemon cried out happily at the affection it received. However, their small celebration ceased when they heard the emboar get zapped back into its poke-ball. They glanced over at the trainer, who was frowning at his defeat._

 _Aaron, seeing the disappointment on the trainer's face, sighed and rose up. "You know, while that was great match, you need to learn that a battle isn't over until all opposing pokemon are defeated." He lectured, intent on helping his previous opponent. "Never let your guard down, even if you have the advantage. Pokemon battles have a tendency to change the tides a lot."_

 _The trainer locked his eyes to the ground, still feeling disappointed over his loss. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," he said quietly. "I should've known better; guess I'm still just a novice..."_

 _Aaron smiled reassuringly at the trainer. "C'mon, don't look so down. Like I said, it was a great battle. You've shown me that you have the potential to become a great trainer! Learn from this defeat, improve from your mistakes and move forward!"_

 _After hearing the optimism coming from Aaron's voice, the trainer couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I will." He looked up from the ground, feeling better now. "I'll keep getting better! I'll improve from my mistakes! And some day, if we battle again, I will beat you!"_

 _Aaron chuckled at his enthusiasm. "That's the spirit," he said. Once the trainer walked away, Aaron glanced at Sophia. "Great job today Sophia." The teen congratulated again and ushered her to follow him, to which she did. "Come on, let's go to a pokemon center, you guys deserve some res- BEEEEEEEP!"_

 _Sophia blinked and stopped to gawk at her trainer. His entire head was replaced with a large digital alarm clock; the digits on the interface were changing rapidly. The roserade stared at it in horror as it continued to ring its blaring alarm at her._

* * *

The roserade groaned in annoyance as she heard the ringing go off constantly. Her crimson eyes glared at the digital clock, feeling her hatred for the device swell.

 _"This stupid thing is the bane of my existence. We should just throw it away!'_ Sophia thought bitterly.

Using a vine, she aggressively pushed the snooze button on clock, shutting off its blaring ring. She groaned afterwards, enjoying the silence that followed. She glanced over to the other side of the bed and noticed it was vacant.

 _"He's gone... again...'_

It wasn't uncommon for Aaron to not be in the bed in the morning, usually because he had to leave for work. Still, it never ceased to sadden the grass type pokemon. She wanted to wake up to his sight, not to a empty spot on the bed.

Sighing, the grass type pokemon hopped off the bed and slowly walked to the kitchen. When she arrived, she noticed a sticky note placed on the refrigerator door. Using her vines, she plucked the small yellow paper from the metal door and brought it to her face so she could read its contents.

 _"Had to go to work earlier than usual, won't be back until tonight. See you then! -Aaron"_

Just as she thought, he left to his job. She proceeded to approach the trash bin and was about to throw the sticky note away. However, more writing on the back of the paper caught her attention, stopping her from throwing it away.

 _"P.S: I left you a glass of OJ in the fridge. Enjoy!"_

She smiled warmly at the writings before she tossed the small yellow paper into the bin. Afterwards, she opened the refrigerator and saw the cup filled fill orange juice, along with a piece of plastic wrap covering the top of it. She used her vines to grab the glass and went to the living room afterwards.

 _"So, Aaron left earlier than usual for work,'_ Sophia thought as she hopped onto the couch. _"Hopefully he'll be back before the meteor shower begins.'_

The roserade peeled off the plastic wrap from the cup and sipped the juice. The sweetness of the drink ran along her tongue, causing her to smile at the taste.

 _"I guess I can only do one thing now.'_ She reached over to the remote with her vines. Once she had it, she aimed it television across the room. _"Play the waiting game.'_

 _Click._


	3. Chapter 3

_"So... bored...'_

The roserade hummed as she laid on the couch, letting boredom take over her. She wanted the night to arrive quickly so that she could watch the meteor shower with Aaron. Unfortunately for the roserade, time felt slower than normal, making minutes feel like hours as they passed.

Sophia thought back to her previous unsuccessful actions to pass the time. She watched the TV for a bit, but shut it off an hour ago due to nothing of her interest being on. She paced around the house, trying to find anything that could alleviate her boredom, but found nothing. Not even Aaron's adventure chest, a box containing items the teen collected from his pokemon trainer days, had nothing to entertain the roserade.

 _"Well... I suppose I_ could _watch the TV again,'_ Sophia thought with a sigh. _"I did turn it off a while ago, so something intriguing might be on now, hopefully.'_

The green pokemon reached for the remote again and used it to power on the television. Once the device came to life, she clicked through several channels playing shows she didn't care for. She kept passing through the channels until she landed on a news station in the middle of a discussion.

"Tonight's the night for the meteor shower ladies and gentlemen!" a anchorman said through the TV. "Make sure to grab your telescopes to get a closer look at the event!"

"Y'know, I've never seen a meteor shower in person." Another male anchor joined in. "What are they like?"

"You've never one before?" The anchorman from before questioned before smiling. "Well then! Today's your lucky day! A meteor shower is when a number of meteors, giant rocks from outer-space, fly past the earth; you can see them in the sky while they do so."

 _"So that's what they are,'_ the roserade thought. _"Interesting.'_

"However, _this_ meteor shower is unique from others." The news anchor continued, once again gaining the pokemon's attention. "Because there have been reports that the legendary thousand-year old comet will be in this meteor shower!"

Sophia raised an eyebrow in confusion. _"The legendary what?'_

The other anchor's eyes grew wide from the information. "The thousand-year old comet?! You mean the comet of Jirachi, the wish pokemon?!"

 _"Wish...?'_

The previous anchor laughed at his colleague's bewilderment. "That's right, which means there's a chance that Jirachi will grant someone's wish!"

"But... isn't that just a myth?" a female anchor asked. "I mean a wish making comet passing by the earth every thousand years? Sounds very skeptical if you ask me."

"Well, I still have my hopes up for it," the anchorman said. "But we'll just have to wait until tonight to see it. Now, onto to other news-"

The roserade turned the TV off, intrigued by the news she was given. She felt elated that there was a pokemon that could grant wishes, and that said pokemon was going to appear tonight. Meaning she could wish for whatever she wanted.

 _"But, what if it_ is _just a myth?' S_ he thought with a frown. _"While it sounds remarkable, it does seem too good to be true. And even if it is true, there are going to be thousands, if not millions of people trying to make their own wishes. So the chances of my wish coming true are... very slim, and that's putting it lightly.'_

The pokemon glanced over to the clock hanging on the wall. Seeing that it read five thirty-three, she calculated that Aaron wouldn't be back for at least another two hours. She sighed to herself before she laid flat on her back, deciding to take a nap to wait it out. She didn't want to feel drowsy before the meteor shower started, but her other option was to just sit and wait wide awake until then, which was something she didn't want to do. She closed her eyes and let sleep consume her a short while later.

* * *

The sounds of the front door unlocking and opening woke Sophia up from her slumber. Her crimson eyes slowly opened up, catching the sight of Aaron walking through the doorway with an metal instrument in his hands. It took a moment for the roserade to realize that said instrument was a telescope.

"Hey there sleepyhead!" Aaron smiled. "Nice to see that you're awake; ready for the meteor shower?"

Sophia blinked surprisingly at the question before she glanced at the clock. Once she saw it read eight twenty, she realized that the meteor shower was either beginning or had already begun. She nodded quickly to his question and hopped off the couch, feeling most of her drowsiness disappear a second later.

"Great," Aaron said, gesturing her to follow. "Follow me, we're gonna watch it on the roof."

The roserade nodded again and quickly followed the teen out of the house. Once she was outside, Sophia glanced up to the night sky to get a glimpse of the event. She could make out small trails of light flashing above, along with one faint green trail slightly larger than the others moving at a slow pace.

She went back to following Aaron, who had placed a ladder on the side of their house. Kneeling down, the teen gently grabbed Sophia's small body and placed her on his back. She quickly wrapped her small flower like arms around his neck so she wouldn't fall off. With the telescoped in hand, Aaron climbed up the ladder with his other hand and quickly got onto the roof. Once there, he made his way to the middle of it before letting Sophia down. Afterwards, he set up the telescope, making sure it was aimed at the meteor shower.

"Alright, we're good to go," he said as he made the finishing touches. He looked through the instrument and adjusted it slightly to get a good look at the event. "Wow... Sophia, you've got to see this..."

The teen moved out of the way so Sophia could look through the telescope. Once she did, the roserade stared in awe as she got a close up of the meteors flying past the earth. She could make out all of the details on each passing rock, which increased her amazement.

 _"It's so... hmm?'_ Her sights came onto another comet. This one was much larger compared to the the others and had a greenish hue to it. _"Is that...? Could it be...?'_

"Y'know, I heard the thousand-year old comet was going to be in this meteor shower," Aaron said as he gazed up at the shower. "And I think that big one might be it. Wow, this truly is a once in a lifetime event."

Sophia listened as she kept gazing at the large comet. _"So... it really_ is _the thousand-year old comet.' S_ he thought. _"Amazing...'_

"I also heard that comet belongs to Jirachi, the wish pokemon." Sophia stopped looking through the telescope as he continued. "Wanna make a wish Sophia? Who knows, Jirachi might make it come true, and it wouldn't hurt to try."

The roserade thought to herself for a moment, not knowing what she wanted her wish to be. She glanced back up to the night sky as she debated with herself, once again seeing the thousand-year old comet. Her wish would most likely have to be about her love for Aaron, to which she slightly blushed about to before shaking it off.

Making up her mind, Sophia closed her eyes as she thought in the loudest voice her mind could come up with. _"I... I wish for a way for Aaron to love me as much as I love him! Something, anything! I just want one way for him to love me...! Please... that's all I want...'_

Within the sky, the comet slowly started to glow brighter than it previously had, bright enough to see without a telescope. Once Aaron saw this, he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Eh...?" He breathed. "Is the comet... glowing?"

Sophia opened her eyes to see what Aaron was talking about, and a few seconds later, a voice, one very child like, rang through her head, which astonished the roserade.

 _"Heh heh! Then your wish is my command!"_

Suddenly, Sophia's body was enveloped in a bright blue energy, which slowly brought her up from the ground. Sophia gasped once she saw she was levitating, which made Aaron glance her way. The teen's eyes widened in shock as he watched the roserade float.

"S-Sophia?! What's going on?!" he yelled. "Sophia?! **Sophia!** "

The energy glowed brighter, and slowly consumed the rest of the pokemon's body. Sophia started to scream as she felt a sharp pain rush through her, which in turn made Aaron reach out to her to try and stop the process. However, the moment he touched her, he recoiled his hand back with a sharp pained gasp, feeling it burn badly from the contact.

The energy glowed brighter and brighter as seconds passed by, so bright that Aaron had to shield his eyes from it. The pokemon's body slowly started to change its shape within the energy, growing longer and bigger than it was before. Once it stopped, the bright energy went off in a shock-wave, which forced Aaron back a couple inches.

The energy dispersed from Sophia, and her body stopped levitating and crumpled onto the ground. She still felt the pain from before, but it slowly started to dissipate. However, the roserade felt different from her usual self, she didn't know why, but she felt _different_.

"Ghh... Sophia...?! Are you alr-?!" Aaron stopped talking once he glanced down at Sophia. His eyes grew wide again as he stared at her in horrible confusion. "Wh... what the...?!"

Sophia groaned as she placed her rose against her aching head. However, to her surprise, a hand landed against her face. Confused, she brought it in front of her and saw that it was a human hand, which was attached to her long arm.

 _"W-w-what...?'_ She lifted her other arm and saw it was the same as her right. She glanced at the rest of her body, which had a bigger torso and longer legs. She could even see and feel strands of snow white hair tickle her cheeks. _"What... happened to... me...?!'_

"S-So-Sophia..." Aaron stuttered, gaining her attention. "You're... you're a... h-human...?!"

Horrible confusion captured Sophia's mind as her eyes widen in shock. _"Wh... WHAT?!'_


	4. Chapter 4

"Wh... what...? How is this even...?" Aaron muttered silently, trying to comprehend what just transpired in front of him. For several seconds he just stared at Sophia, flabbergasted that she transformed into his species so suddenly.

The ex-roserade, now a human, has never seen the teen so shocked before. She couldn't blame him for being so however, since she was just as shocked as he was. Her crimson eyes were glued onto her human hands, which were shaking violently.

When Aaron took a step forward, Sophia quickly looked up, which caused the teen to freeze instantly. The two locked eyes with each other for a few seconds, neither of them knowing what to do or say.

"S-Sophia," Aaron whispered to her. "It's... it's _you,_ right...? You're Sophia, right?!"

The ex-roserade gave him a quick nod, which eased the teens nerves slightly. She attempted to get up, but her body refused to respond, which was still aching from the transformation. Aaron approached her slowly and touched her hand; Sophia winched in pain a second later, forcing the teen to draw back his hand quickly.

"S-sorry," he whispered. "U-um... c-can you... move your body at all?"

Sophia tried to move again, this time placing her hands onto the roof. She tried to raise herself again, but her legs refused to move once more; both felt incredibly numb. She sighed and shook her head, giving the teen an answer.

Aaron leaned down on one of his knees, getting closer to her. "Uh... do you... do you think you can talk...?" he asked. "In a human language, I mean."

The ex roserade thought to herself, wondering if she could actually speak in his language now that's she's a human. She drew in a breath and tried to mutter out the word 'yes'.

"Rose...?" she said quietly, then blushed, embarrassed at her failed attempt.

Aaron couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her flustered expression. "Heh, I guess not, huh?" He reached out to her again and took a hold of her arm. Despite him being gentle, Sophia still winced in pain. "I'm really sorry if I hurt you Sophia, but I need to get you inside the house," Aaron said as he wrapped her arm behind his neck. He lifted the rest of her aching body, carrying her bridal style.

The teen made his way to the edge of the roof and peered down. "This is tricky..." he whispered. "How am I gonna get us down there? Can't use the ladder when I'm carrying you, and you can't use your... new hands, correct?" he asked Sophia, who nodded afterward, making the teen sigh. "Then I only have one option... I'm _really_ sorry if you get hurt."

The ex-roserade raised a eyebrow in confusion, wondering what he was going to do. It wasn't until he drew in a breath did she realize his plan. She was about to 'object', but the teen already made his move, and jumped off the roof. Sophia yelped as they fell to the ground, and shut her eyes tight as they landed. Aaron grunted in pain as his feet made contact onto the ground. His knees buckled, which forced the teen to fall on them. He raised the ex-roserade slightly higher than she was before to keep her from touching the ground.

"Ghh... d-damn it," he groaned as he slowly got back up on his feet. "That's gonna hurt in the morning... ghh... Are you alright?"

Sophia gave him a nod, which relieved the teen. He limped back inside the house, grunting every time his right foot touched the ground. Once they made it into their home, Aaron placed the ex-roserade on the couch then sat down on the it himself afterwards. He rubbed his sore ankles with his hands.

"Ugh... I'm surprised I didn't break 'em upon impact, carrying all that weight," he said.

"Roser..." Sophia attempted to speak again before stopping herself. The words were in her head, they just refused to come out of her mouth correctly.

Aaron glanced over at the ex-roserade, ceasing his ankle rubbing. "Sophia, what exactly did you wish for?" he asked before realizing the error with his question. "Nevermind, you can't speak in a human language, so you can't tell me, not yet anyway." He got up from the couch with a groan, then made his way to the front entrance. "I'm going to put away the ladder and telescope, I'll be right back," he said as he left the house.

While the teen was gone, Sophia took the time to check out her new body. The clothing that covered her resembled the body of a roserade. Yellow green loafers covered her feet along with green leggings covered her now longer legs. She looked over at a nearby mirror and saw her crimson eyes look right back. A mask that resembled a roserade's covered most the upper portion of her face. Her hair was snow white, which almost touched her shoulders. Around her neck was a golden necklace that shined brightly in the light. One could say that she was cosplaying a roserade.

"Well, you're incredibly lucky," Aaron said as he returned, no longer limping as badly as he was earlier. "Whatever you wished for came true since you're... well, human now."

 _"But, that's not what I wished for Aaron.'_ She thought before yawning, feeling exhausted. _"If only I could tell you that.'_

Aaron played a small grin at her yawn. "I guess getting transformed makes one tired huh?" he asked, feeling his own drowsiness take over. He approached the ex-roserade and picked her up again, then carried her over to their room. The teen placed her on the bed then took off her mask and necklace. "Get some rest, we'll speak more about this in the morning." He covered her body with the large blanket, then proceeded to leave the room.

But before he could actually leave, Sophia called out to him with a questionable 'roserade'. She was curious as to why he wasn't going to stay with her. The teen looked back at her with a small frown.

"Sorry Sophia, but it'll feel... awkward sleeping next to a foreign face," he said. The ex-roserade gave him a pleading look, not wanting him to leave. Aaron's frown increased when he saw her infamous lillipup face. "No, please no. Don't give that look Sophia," he said weakly. Her eyes intensified their sadness, which continued to strike the teen badly. "Stop... please stop Sophia..." He turned his head away, which forced the ex-roserade to start whimpering. Aaron groaned as her soft cries worked their way though his head, and gave up as he said in a defeated voice, "Alright, alright! I'll stay, just let me change real quick and I'll be back. And stop with that look, please!"

Sophia smiled instantly, getting rid of the sadden look she just had. Aaron left for a few minutes, then returned in his pajamas. He climbed into the bed and closed his eyes. Sophia tried to shift her body closer to Aaron so she could cuddle with him, but her body barely moved as she struggled. The teen beside her glanced her way with one eye, noticing her attempts to get closer. Sighing, he reached out to Sophia and brought her close, placing her head underneath his chin. Sophia hummed contently at the teen's actions.

"Sweet dreams Sophia," Aaron said, closing his eyes once more.

 _"Goodnight, Aaron...'_ The ex-roserade thought as her drowsiness took over, letting her fall into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_Blissful silence filled the church as people sat in rows of chairs. All eyes were on Sophia as she walked down the white pedal covered isle. She wore a bright white dress, along with a veil that covered her face. She couldn't help be feel nervous as the audience looked at her with awe, but she did her best to brush down those feelings._

 _As she continued through the isle, she kept her focus on the two men ahead of her. One was an old priest, and the other was Aaron, who wore a black tuxedo. He grinned brightly as Sophia got closer to the alter he and the priest were standing under. The ex-roserade smiled back warmly as she got closer._

 _Once she got beside him, the two faced each other and let the priest speak the wedding vows. Sophia however didn't pay attention to the words he was saying, for she gave all her focus to the groom. Her crimson red eyes looked on into his chocolate brown eyes lovingly, never wanting to look away, and his smile made her heart soar through the sky; this way truly the happiest day of her life._

 _"Do you, Aaron, take Sophia to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest asked the groom, gaining Sophia's attention. "In sickness and in health?"_

 _"I do," Aaron said without hesitation._

 _The priest turned to the bride. "Do you, Sophia, take Aaron to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health?" he asked._

 _Sophia quickly nodded before turning towards Aaron and softly spoke, "I do."_

 _"Then, I pronounce you husband and wife." The priest smiled joyfully. Sophia's heart felt as if it was going to explode. Finally, she was married to man she loved. "You may kiss the br-BEEP BEEP BEEP!"_

 _The ex-roserade froze as she heard the sudden rings echo out through the air. Ever so slowly, she turned her head towards the priest; his entire head was replaced with a digital alarm clock, the same alarm clock Sophia despised greatly. The numbers on the interface were changing rapidly, filling the bride with dread._

"Oh no...' _She thought._

 _Another series of rings went off from Aaron's direction, making Sophia's dread rise. She quickly turned to him and saw his head was also replaced with an alarm clock. She gawked at him, feeling that she's seen this before. Not a moment later did more rings emerge from the audience. Sophia stared at them, seeing each of their heads replaced with the horrid devices._

 _It's a chorus of digital alarm clocks._

"N-no... NOOOOOO!' _Sophia screamed in her mind as the calls of alarms never ceased._

* * *

 _"Why...?!'_ Sophia thought as she was abruptly awoken by the alarm. _"Why do we have this accursed device?!'_

The ex-roserade opened her eyes and let out an annoyed groan. She glared at the clock bitterly and tired to move her arm to shut it off. But before she could even reach for it, another hand pressed down on the snooze button, deactivating the alarm. Sophia glanced up and saw Aaron standing there, still dressed in his pajamas. His curly hair was a mess, and bags hug under his squinting eyes, showing he was awoken not too long ago. The tired teen noticed Sophia's small movements and glanced at her with a smile.

"Morning sleepy head," he said, earning a small grin from the ex-roserade. Aaron slowly made his way to the doorway of the room, then turned back to Sophia. "I'm gonna get ready for the day. Once I'm back, we're going to have a chat about what happened last night."

Sophia gave him a small nod before he left the room. While he was absent, the ex-roserade took the time to continue her observation of her new body; specifically, her arms and legs. She brought her hands closer to her face and counted the digits them, making out five for both palms, which she assumed was normal for human hands. Sophia tried to move some of the fingers, and to her astonishment, some of them moved, albeit lightly. She applied more pressure to the digits, and slowly, her hands curled up into fists.

 _"This... is not as difficult as I thought it would be.'_ She smiled. _"In fact, it's not hard at all."_

Sophia grabbed the sheet that covered her body and gently pushed it down, revealing her green outfit as she did. Once it was complete off her body, the ex-roserade examined her legs curiously. She reached out with both hands to the toes of her feet and gripped them softly. She could feel the small digits twitch slightly upon contact with her palms, and after a few seconds, she made them move around with her fingers. She chuckled lightly at the sensation of her toes being moved constantly. After a minute, she ceased her exploration of her new feet, then tried to move her legs. They reacted lightly to her mental commands, but didn't make any major movements. The ex-roserade tried again, to no avail.

 _"It's not gonna be that easy, huh?'_ Sophia sighed.

Aaron returned to the room, wearing his normal outfit. He held a glass of orange juice in his hand; the teen approached Sophia and leaned over slightly. "Drink this," he said, bringing the cup close to her mouth. The ex-roserade sipped the liquid slowly, delighted by the taste. Once she was finished, Aaron placed the glass cup on the dresser and took a seat next to Sophia on the bed.

"So, just to recap on what happened last night, your wish did this to you, correct?" the teen asked, earning a nod from white hair girl. "So, you wished to be human?"

Sophia quickly shook her head in denial, which confused Aaron. "You didn't wish to be a human?" he asked, getting another nod from the ex-roserade. "Okay, so if you didn't wish to be a human, why are you one now?"

All Sophia could answer with was a shrug, not knowing why the wish made her a human. The white hair girl went into deep thought to try and figure out why the wish made her the way she is. After a few seconds of thinking, a yell echoed within her mind.

 _ **"I... I wish for a way for Aaron to love me as much as I love him! Something, anything! I just want one way for him to love me...! Please... that's all I want...'**_

 _"Oh... right...'_ Sophia thought. _"The fact that I said 'Anything!' really drives it home.'_

Looking back at the teen in front of her, she noticed he was looking at the ground; he was in deep thought as well. Sophia assumed that he was still trying to wrap his head around the events of last night. After a few seconds, he glanced back at the ex-roserade.

"Can you move your body?" he asked. Sophia brought up her arms and moved her hands and fingers around as an answer. "How about your legs?" He questioned.

The ex-roserade frowned and shook her head sadly. Aaron glanced at the stationary limbs and placed his hand on one of them. Sophia blushed at the sudden contact, and soon afterward, her crimson eyes widened a bit when he pushed the leg back, making the knee bend and bringing her thigh to her stomach.

"Does this hurt?" Aaron asked. Sophia shook her head in denial, earning a sigh of relief from the teen. "You can feel this, right?" The teen questioned. Sophia nodded in confirmation, still looking at Aaron in bewilderment as he let her leg down. He reached over to the other limb and did the same process as the previous one. Nodding to himself, Aaron released her leg and rose up from the bed.

"Alright, since you say you can't walk, I'm going to help you fix that." He reached out to Sophia, helping her out of the bed. He placed her feet onto the ground and brought up the rest of her body carefully. Sophia looked at the teen confusion, earning a smile from him. "C'mon, I'm gonna help you relearn how to walk."

 _"What?'_


	6. Chapter 6

"Alright, let's try again," Aaron said to Sophia, who was holding onto his arms tightly, her legs shook unsteadily as she stood. The duo were inside the living room; Aaron was helping the ex-roserade relearn walking. "This time, move slowly, take your time." He continued.

Sophia whimpered and gulped, but nodded slowly as she started to move her left leg. Her foot was raised a couple inches off the ground and ever so slowly moved forward. Sophia's grip on Aaron's arms got tighter as she felt her right leg wobble even more without the support of her left.

"That's it, keep moving slowly." Aaron smiled. "I gotcha, so take your time."

Encouraged by his words, the ex-roserade continued to move her leg, feeling more of her strength return to the shaking limbs. She exhaled sharply as her left foot made contact with the floor once more. Feeling confident, she brought up her right foot and made it move forward as well. However, it came to a halt as Sophia felt it shake even more than before. She whimpered at the feeling in her leg, thinking her couldn't continue.

"Relax Sophia," Aaron said softly. "Don't think about it too hard, just take it easy and go with the flow."

The ex-roserade drew in a deep breath, trying to ease her nerves. After a few seconds, her right leg's violent shaking decreased by a large amount. Sighing in relief, Sophia continued until her right finally made contact with the floor.

"You're doing great Sophia, keep it up!" Aaron grinned brightly and took a step back to give the ex-roserade more room.

Sophia smiled back as she continued the exercise. She moved her left leg forward again, this time the appendage didn't shake as horribly as it did before. Once she got her foot onto the ground, she quickly moved her right leg forward. Just like her left, her right leg lost most of its violent shaking. When her foot reached the ground, Sophia felt her confidence increase. She could feel more of her strength return to her legs.

Aaron's grin got brighter as he saw the improvements. "Nice Sophia! You're getting the hang of-" He was interrupted when several rings erupted from his xtransceiver, a phone like watch that was popular with the local people of unova. His eyes widened up a bit when he saw the name displayed on the interface. "Umm... s-shoot... I uh..." He stuttered. "Do you think you wait here for a second? I- uh... really need to answer this privately..."

Sophia raised an eyebrow in confusion, but nodded lightly. Aaron eased Sophia's arms out of his grip, and once he saw she capable of standing on her own, he dashed around the corner into another room, out of earshot of the ex-roserade. Sophia looked at the corner Aaron disappeared behind, still confused by the teen's actions.

 _"That was... weird. Why couldn't he answer it here?'_ She questioned in her head. The ex-roserade's crimson eyes glanced at her feet, seeing that her legs weren't shaking badly anymore. _"Well, at least I can stand on my own again.'_ She smiled.

After about a minute of waiting, Aaron finally returned to the room, looking relieved. "Heh, sorry about that. Ready to continue?" he asked. Rather than answer, Sophia eyed the xtransceiver on his wrist, wondering who called him. Aaron noticed this and quickly put his hand over the watch-phone. "O-oh, that," he said quietly. "That was my... umm... boss. I uh... forgot to tell her that I couldn't make it to... work... today."

Sophia still looked at him skeptically, knowing that something was amiss about him. _"Is he... hiding something...?'_

"Ah, enough of that." Aaron smiled, erasing his nervous look. "Let's get back to what we were doing, speaking of which..." He glanced at her legs, noticing that her legs weren't vibrating as much as they were earlier. "Seems like you can stand on your own now! Do you think your strong enough to walk over to me?"

Sophia blinked at the sudden question, not knowing if she could walk on her own yet. She looked down at her legs, seeing that both were stationary and calm. She glanced back up at Aaron and gave him a light nod.

The teen smiled brightly at her acceptance. "Alright then! Come here!" He opened up his arms to her, offering what appeared to be hug. "And don't worry about falling either, because if you do, I'll catch you."

The ex-roserade smiled warmly at his reassurance, feeling more confident about walking over to him. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath through her nose. Once she got herself ready, Sophia made her move and pushed her right leg forward towards Aaron. She did so with ease, with her right foot touching the ground without a problem. Sophia's face lit up at her success, feeling her confidence rise even higher. She moved her left leg forward, moving her body further through the room.

"You can do it Sophia," Aaron said to her, grinning brightly. "I know you can do it."

Sophia looked into his eyes, not even bothering to check on her legs. She took another step forward, still looking at the teen in front as she did. She couldn't look away from his loving eyes, for if she did, she thought she would collapse. She kept walking forward until she was foot away from him. Taking the final step, she quickly wrapped her arms around him, bringing the duo into a warm hug. Aaron embraced the ex-roserade back, feeling overjoyed that Sophia could walk again.

"Told ya you could do it," Aaron whispered before closing his eyes, enjoying the embrace they shared.

Sophia felt as if she was about to melt into the hug; she didn't want to leave his grasp. _"I've been this close to him before, but it feels... better somehow.'_ She thought. _"The other hugs I shared with him pale in comparison to this.'_

The hug lasted for several more seconds until Aaron realized how long they were embracing and how he was lost in a trance by it. He gently eased his arms off of Sophia and placed them on her shoulders, looking at her crimson eyes as he did.

"W-well," Aaron whispered. "Now that you can walk again, let's try another exercise." When Sophia raised an eyebrow, Aaron gave her smile and led her to the couch. "I want to teach you how to speak in a human language," he said.

 _"Oh... perfect...'_ Sophia thought sarcastically.

The duo took their seats on the couch, both getting comfortable in their spots. Once they were settled in, Aaron spoke to the ex-roserade. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. We're going to start off with a couple small words first. Try saying the word, 'hey'."

Sophia thought to herself, picturing the word over and over again. Once she got confident enough, she attempted to say the word. "Roser..."

Aaron shook his head. "Try sounding out the word first Sophia," he said.

"Ro-" The ex-roserade tried again before stopping herself, then looked down in shame.

"Hey now, there's no need to get upset, I never said this was going to be easy." Aaron reassured her, getting her to look back up. He pointed a finger towards his mouth. "Look at my mouth, try to copy what I'm doing."

The teen sounded out the first part of the word, making sure to do it slowly so that Sophia could get the gist of it. The ex-roserade watched carefully, trying to replicate what his mouth was doing.

"Ro-" She shook her head, then tired again. "R-" She stopped again and tried once more. "Rrr... Rr... Rrh... H... Hhh... H-heh... heh..."

"You're doing it!" Aaron said with excitement in his voice. "Say the rest of the word!"

Sophia drew in a deep breath, trying to concentrate on the word. "H... Heh... H... e... y... He... y... H... ey... H-hey... Hey...!" Sophia smiled brightly, elated that she finally said the small word.

"Great Sophia!" Aaron congratulated. "You said your first human word! You'll be saying entire sentences before you know it!" His excitement died down a little, but he still smiled at the ex-roserade. "Alright, that's one word down, let's move on to some more, shall we?" he asked, earning a nod from her.

* * *

The duo continued their vocal exercise for the next hour. Aaron taught her multiple words, but said words mostly contained one syllable. He wanted Sophia to get used to speaking first before they would move onto more advanced words.

"Alright, that's enough teaching for now, wouldn't you agree?" Aaron asked.

"Y-ye-ah..." Sophia responded weakly.

The teen stood up and stretched his body around, several audible small pops emerge from him and made him groan afterward. "Alright, with some walking and some talking done, I'd say you're good to go for some more lessons later on. For now though, I'll make us something to munch on, you must be hungry after all of that." Sophia was going to say another weak reply, but stopped when her stomach growled loudly. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," Aaron laughed lightly, earning a light blush from the ex-roserade.

When the teen went into the kitchen, Sophia reached out to the remote on the couch and used it to activate the TV. The device came to life, and once it was finished booting up, Sophia used the remote to flip around through the various channels playing, trying to find something she was interested in.

"Pokepuffs! Your pokemon will lov-"

 _"Nope.'_

"M'lady, I love you. Please, marry-"

 _"Nada.'_

"Last night's meteor shower sure was something extraordinary, wasn't it?"

"Hmm...?" Sophia hummed curiously, landing on the news station she watched yesterday.

"That's right Marc!" Another news anchor pitched in. "Something like that has got to be a once in a life time event!"

 _"They're still talking about the meteor shower?'_ Sophia thought. _"Well, it was a big event, it would make sense for them to discuss about it.'_

"But what really got my attention was the larger comet glowing brighter for a few seconds," said the same news anchor. "What did it mean?"

"Have you forgotten already?" the previous anchor responded. "Sheesh, I told you yesterday! The larger comet glowing probably meant that it was granting someone's wish!"

 _"W-what? They know...?'_ Sophia felt her heart skip a beat, the thought of people knowing that she transformed swirled around her head.

"Oh, right!" The news anchor remembered. "That was the thousand-year old comet right? That means someone got their wish granted!"

"Well, whoever you are, if you're tuning in, congratulations!" the previous anchor said. "I hope you got what you wished for! Now onto other news..."

Sophia tuned out the television's sound, for she was far more focused on people knowing that her wish came true. She was scared that they would bombard her with endless questions and cameras, trying to find out what the process was like, and refusing to leave her in peace. Or, there was the chance of someone kidnapping her to conduct experiments on her body, just like those horror films she's watched in the past. All of it filled the ex-roserade with fear.

"Hey, Sophia." Aaron's sudden voice made Sophia jump a bit. She turned to see him standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. She assumed that he overheard the TV, because he wore a reassuring smile on his face. "Don't worry about people finding out about you. Just because they saw the comet glow doesn't mean they know what happened to you. Your secret is safe."

Sophia couldn't help but smile a bit, feeling safer now that she added Aaron's words to the problem. He was right, just because people saw the comet, it didn't mean they knew what truly happened. Even if they did find out, she knew Aaron would protect her from them, he wouldn't let them harm her.

 _"That's one of the reasons why I love him.'_ She thought. _"He'll protect me to the best of his ability, I just hope I can do the same one day.'_

A short while later, the two ate a small quiet dinner, neither having anything to say. Afterwards, the duo went over a couple more vocal exercises before heading to bed. The teen gave Sophia some of his old clothes that he couldn't fit into anymore, which consisted a white t-shirt and some red shorts . While he left to the bathroom to change himself into his pajamas, Sophia changed herself in the bedroom.

However, she felt slightly weaker than normal when she removed the outfit. She didn't know why she felt that way, but the ex-roserade was slightly relieved when she could still stand and walk on her own. She put on Aaron's old clothes, which was a little too big for her body, but was warm and comfortable for her wear.

Once Aaron returned, the two climbed onto the bed and placed the large blankets over their bodies. Sophia maneuvered her body closer to his and wrapped her arms around him. She smiled warmly, enjoying another hug from the teen.

"Tha... tha-n-k... y-you, f-f-for... t-tea... ching m-me... h-how... to-" Sophia tried to say, but was shushed when Aaron placed a finger over her lips.

"Anytime Sophia," Aaron whispered with a grin. "Sweet dreams."

He closed his eyes, falling asleep shortly afterward. Sophia smiled at the teen and pressed her head against his chest, falling into her own slumber a minute later.


	7. Chapter 7

Sophia emerged from her slumber earlier than usual, earlier than Aaron in fact, who was still sleeping beside her. She glanced at the alarm clock she despised greatly, seeing that it said four fifty-seven on the interface. Sophia blinked, curious as to why she woke up at this time.

The ex-roserade got back under the blanket and tried to return to sleep, but after several minutes she deemed it would be in vain, she's wide awake. Her crimson eyes glanced at the snoozing teen beside her, who was mumbling lightly in his sleep.

"N-no... give me... b-back... that... apple, it's... it's mine," he whispered in his sleep.

 _"Heh, this is too cute.'_ Sophia smiled.

Climbing out of the bed, Sophia carefully tread through the darkened house. Having lived in the house for a while, she had a feeling of what was where in the dark. Once she got into the living room, she reached out to the wall and flipped the light switch once she touched it. A second later, the room was engulfed in the bright light, which felt like torture on the ex-roserade's eyes, which were adjusted to the dark.

 _"That was dumb.'_ Sophia groaned and shut her eyes tightly to shield them from the light. _"That was really dumb.'_

After a couple seconds, the pain in her eyes faded, allowing Sophia to open her red orbs once more. The lights no longer hurt her eyes badly, but her red orbs still weren't quite used to it yet, so she was forced to squint them. Yawning tiredly, she slowly made her way to the bathroom. Once inside, she activated the lights via another switch and looked into the mirror that hung over the sink. Her snow white hair was spread all over the place, and small bags hung under her eyes, showing how exhausted she looked.

 _"I look like a mess.'_ She groaned. _"Do all humans have to deal with this?'_

The ex-roserade turned the knobs on the sink, allowing water to flow through the faucet. She gathered some of the clear liquid in her hands then splashed it onto her face. She did this several more times to clean up the sleep that was leftover. Splashing herself once more, she looked back up at the mirror and groaned in annoyance at the mess of her hair. She looked around the restroom and started pulling at random drawers, trying to find a brush. When she found one, she glanced back at the mirror, confused on how to continue.

 _"How do I do this?'_ She questioned in her head. _"From what I've seen on TV, human females brush their hair with these things, but is there more to it than just that?'_

"Well, someone's up early." Aaron's sudden voice made the ex-roserade jump, allowing the brush to fall from her grip and onto the counter. He chuckled at her bewilderment before apologizing. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"H... h-ow... l-long... were... y-you st-anding... t-there for...?" Sophia asked slowly, still trying to get used to speaking. "W-w-when... did y-you... get u-up...?"

"I woke up not too long ago," he said. "Noticed that you weren't bed and that some of the lights were on." He looked at the bush the fell onto the counter. "So I take it you're trying to bush your hair?" he asked.

The ex-roserade nodded. "Y-ye-ah... h-how do... I do th-is...?"

The teen smiled. "I'll teach you about that later. For now, I need to teach you about personal hygiene." He walked past her and toward the shower. "First: using the shower," he said as he turned on the shower head, allowing water to sprinkle from it. He went on to teach the ex-roserade the basics on how her clean the body, from using soap, to using shampoo on her hair. Then, he showed her how to control the temperature of the water, from hot, warm, and cold.

"After you're done, use this to dry off your body," Aaron said while showing her the towel that hung near the shower, then turned to leave the bathroom.

"W-wait...!" Sophia called out to the teen, making him turn towards her in confusion. "Y-you're... n-not... st-aying...?"

Aaron blushed at the question, looking away in embarrassment. "N-no Sophia, I'm not gonna stay and watch you clean yourself," he responded.

"W-why...?" Sophia asked innocently.

"Because I don't want to look like a pervert, or worse..." He trailed off. "Just... tell me when you're done, and I'll teach you the next steps," he said before leaving the bathroom, closing the door behind him afterwards.

Sophia kept looking at the door, confused as to why he was so embarrassed. _"What's so bad about him seeing me naked?'_

Sighing to herself, the ex-roserade stripped herself of Aaron's old clothing and stepped into the tub, letting the warm water from the shower to fall onto her body. She smiled, enjoying the sensation of the warm liquid fall constantly on her nude form. She took some of the products inside the shower and used them as Aaron instructed. She covered most of her body with soap and washed it off, and did the same with her hair using shampoo.

 _"This is easy, and it feels good too.'_ Sophia smiled.

After ten minutes passed, Sophia deactivated the shower and stepped out of the tub. She grabbed the towel Aaron left behind and dried her body off with it. Feeling most of the moisture get removed from her body, the ex-roserade wrapped the towel around herself and made her way to the door.

"F-fin-ished...!" She called out through the door after knocking on it. A couple seconds passed before the door opened slightly; a hand holding some clothing came through.

"Put these on," Aaron said, letting her take the clothes before closing the door again.

Sophia eyed the clothes, seeing that they were a light blue t-shirt with a picture of a mudkip head in the middle and some black pants that had pictures of a zekrom on the legs. She removed the towel from her body and put on the clothes Aaron gave her. She looked at the mirror once she had them on to examine herself.

 _"They look nice, to me at least.'_ Sophia grinned.

Nodding to herself, Sophia approached the door and knocked on it once more. "F-finished," she said again.

Aaron opened the door, then inspected Sophia for a couple seconds. "Wow, they fit you perfectly." Aaron smiled. "Good thing I still have some of my old clothes, I was just about to get rid of them." He grabbed the bush on the counter and motioned Sophia over. "Alright, stand in front of the mirror," he said.

The ex-roserade got in front of the teen, letting him to use the brush on her hair. The bristles went through her locks easily, since it was still damp from the shower she took. The brush straightened out the mess of her hair, finally making her look presentable.

"See? It's not difficult at all," Aaron said as he finished up.

"Y-yeah." Sophia agreed.

"Alright, that's that," Aaron said before putting the brush away in one of the drawers. "I would teach you how to brush your teeth, but I only have one toothbrush."

"It's o-okay," Sophia said. "Y-you can... t-t-teach me t-to-night... after you g-get me one."

Aaron smiled at the ex-roserade. "Alright, now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for the day myself," he said, earning a nod from her. Sophia walked out of the bathroom, allowing the teen to close the door behind her and lock it.

The ex-roserade decided to venture around the house afterward, and noticed that it got brighter outside. It was still relatively dark, but she could tell the sun was coming up. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of orange juice, her favorite drink. Holding the glass in one hand, she went back into the living room and sat down on the couch. Taking hold of the remote in her other hand, Sophia turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Since it was early in the morning, there wasn't much on the television that grabbed the ex-roserade's attention. After a couple minutes, Aaron walked into the living room, wearing his regular attire. He was speaking into his xtransceiver, which he held up near his face.

"Yeah, I really appreciate this Melissa," he said to the watch-phone.

 _"Melissa.'_ Sophia remembered the name, feeling nostalgia hit her like a truck. Melissa is one of Aaron's friends; they've known each other since their childhood. She's even accompanied him on his journey, acting as the mobile nurse for the team.

"Alright, I'll see you later on today, bye." He hung the xtransceiver up, then glanced at Sophia. "I was just talking to Melissa, I told her about your current state," Aaron said. "She'll be over in a couple hours to watch over you, so don't be surprised when you hear knocking on the door, okay?"

"O-okay, what w-will... s-she do...?" Sophia asked.

"Like I said, she'll be watching over you, and she might teach you a couple things about being a human female. I'll admit, I'm no expert on women or how they live their lives, so it'll be better to learn from an actual girl than from me." He answered, then made his way to the door before looking back at the ex-roserade. "I have to get to work, starting early today," he said.

"W-wait...!" Sophia called out to him before he could open the door.

"What is it?" Aaron asked, turning towards the ex-roserade.

Sophia paused for a few seconds, wondering if she should really ask the question that was pending on her mind. "W-w-well... I-I was... won-dering..."

"Yes...?" Aaron went on.

"Wh-what is... y-your... j-j-job...?" Sophia finally asked.

Aaron blinked at the question, seemingly taken back by it. "M-my job...?" he said quietly. "That's... it's... I'm a... uh..." He muttered off, which confused Sophia. "I'm a... con-construction worker! Yeah, a construction worker!" He answered with a seemingly forced smile.

"A... con-struc... tion... worker...?" Sophia slowly asked.

"Yep! You know how the city is, always expanding an what-not," he said with a nervous look. "WellIgottagoseeyalaterbye!" he said very quickly before opening the door and leaving in the span of a few seconds. Sophia could even hear the door lock quickly.

 _"He was nervous again, just like yesterday.'_ Sophia questioned. _"Why is that?'_

The ex-roserade glanced at the clock, then looked at the TV. She sipped her orange juice quietly, enjoying the taste of the orange liquid.

 _"He said Melissa would be here in a couple hours, and it's five now.'_ She thought to herself as she flipped through the channels of the television. _"Alright then, I'll just listen out for the door, and watch TV until then._

 _"Time to play the waiting game.'_


	8. Chapter 8

Heavy knocking echoed from the front door of the house, quickly catching Sophia's attention. She got up from the couch and made her way over to the door. The ex-roserade took a hold of the doorknob, gave it a twist, then pulled. But to her confusion, the door stayed firmly in place. She tried again, putting more force into the pull, but the door refused to move.

"Uh... maybe you should unlock it first, Sophia." A feminine voice called through the other side of the door. "See that lock above the doorknob? Move it over to the left."

 _"Oh... right, silly me.'_ Sophia blushed in embarrassment before she unlocked the door. She grabbed the door knob again and gave it another twist, then pulled it toward her. This time, the door moved, revealing a familiar face in its wake.

Her skin was slightly pale, along with her eyes having a dark shade of brown. A portion dark brown hair covered her left eye, and the rest was in a low ponytail. Most of the clothing on her was soaked in water, making Sophia realize that it was raining. A black trench coat covered her body, along with a red t-shirt that was mostly covered by the coat. Gray jeans were wrapped around her legs, and black boots covered her feet. To top it off, a black straw hat sat on her head. She lugged a large backpack on her back, filled with what Sophia assumed was clothes.

"Wow, uh... is... is that really you Sophia?" the brunette asked in disbelief, wearing a surprised expression on her face. Sophia gave her a small nod, then glanced at the sky, seeing how hard it was raining. Melissa took note of that and brushed off her amazement. "Right, right. I should get inside, sorry," she said before she came into the house.

The brunette quickly removed her soaked boots and placed them near the door. Sophia closed said door and locked it, then made her way back to the couch, with Melissa doing the same after she removed the large backpack from her body. Once the duo was seated, they both looked at one another. Melissa stared in awe at the ex-roserade, to which Sophia responded by cocking her head in confusion.

"S-sorry," Melissa said, quickly looking away. "I'm just having a hard time believing what I'm seeing. A pokemon becoming a human, that's a first for me." The brunette looked at the ex-roserade again, this time regaining her composure. "Right, let's get to the point. Are you capable of speaking in a human language?" she asked.

"Y-ye-ah..." Sophia softly said, which surprised Melissa a little. "N... not rea-lly g-good at i-it tho-ugh..."

"Alright, so you _can_ speak," the brunette said, returning to her regular expression again. "You're obviously able to move on your own, with ease as well." She rubbed her chin for a couple seconds, thinking about what else she could ask. "Are you capable of using your powers you had as a roserade?"

The question took Sophia by surprise, making her shrug unknowingly. "I... d-don't... know," she whispered.

"You've never tried using them?" Melissa asked.

"N-no, nev-er... really... th-thought a-a-bout it..."

"Well, could you try using them?" the brunette asked. "It would be interesting to see a human using pokemon powers."

Sophia paused for a few seconds, bringing her hands close to her face. She clenched the fingers into a fist and extended them back out several times, trying to concentrate on using her powers.

"W-which move... sh-should I-I use...?" The ex-roserade questioned, glancing at Melissa.

"Hmm..." The brunette hummed. "How about an energy ball?"

Sophia looked at her once more, then concentrated how she usually did when she made an energy ball as a roserade. Within a second, a small bright green sphere formed, hovering slightly above her hand. The duo's eyes widened at the green ball.

"W-whoa! That's incredible!" Melissa exclaimed. "Do you think you can make a vine?!" she asked quickly, giddy at the thought of more powers being presented to her.

Sophia dispersed the energy ball and concentrated again, trying to make a vine appear. However, after a couple seconds of silence, nothing appeared from her hand. She put it down a shook her head at the brunette sadly.

"Oh, so you can't make vines anymore? That's a shame," Melissa sighed. "Still, we know that you can use some of your powers, so let's see the rest."

For the next half-hour, the duo looked over what powers Sophia could use. So far, the ex-roserade could make shadow balls, sludge bombs, poison jabs, pedal dances, magical leaves, leaf storms, and sleep and stun powders.

"This is awesome, seriously." Melissa awed at Sophia, who blushed and smiled at the praise. "Still, one thing lingers in my mind, a question if you will," she said, gaining the ex-roserade's attention. "Why did you wish to become a human?"

Sophia stayed silent, not knowing what to say. _"Should... should I tell her...?'_

"Aaron told me that a wish during the meteor shower made you human." Melissa continued. "So why did you want to become one?"

"Umm... w-well..." Sophia started slowly. "I... I d-didn't... w-wish... t-to be... a h-human..."

Melissa continued to stare at her in confusion. "Then what _did_ you wish for?" she asked.

"It's... i-it's a... secret," Sophia said slowly. "I'd... r-rather not say..."

The brunette kept her puzzled stare on the ex-roserade for a few more before sighing in defeat. "Alright, I won't force you to tell me. But it still confuses me," she said, then examined the clothes Sophia wore. She smiled lightly before saying, "Aaron's old pajamas, eh? Poor little thing, you need some real clothes."

The brunette got up from the couch and approached the large backpack she brought with her. Sophia followed her, seeing Melissa quickly unzip it and rummage through its contents. She cracked a smile once she found what she was looking for a pulled it out.

"Here, put these on," Melissa said, presenting a white leather jacket, along with a black shirt and black jeans. "Let's see how they look on you."

"Are... are a-all of y-your c-clothes in th-there... b-black and w-white?" Sophia asked.

The brunette glanced back at the strewn out contents of the backpack, seeing most of the clothes she brought with her were in fact black and white. She hadn't really thought about it when she chose them back at her apartment, she just grabbed the first things she saw in her wardrobe and stuffed it into her backpack.

"Huh... I guess so," Melissa said, then pressed the clothes she had in her hands against Sophia. "But nevermind that, go change into your new clothes."

The ex-roserade took a hold of the clothes and quickly made her way to the bathroom. She didn't want to keep the brunette waiting, so she changed as quickly as she could into the new outfit. The black jeans hugged her legs, but not tightly; the black t-shirt replaced the blue one Aaron gave her, and the white leather jacket covered most of it, save for a portion near the middle of the ex-roserade's collarbone. Once she thought she had the outfit complete, she returned to Melissa. The brunette examined Sophia, and quickly made some adjustments to the outfit, mostly fastening some of the buttons Sophia missed and moving the jacket slightly so it looked better.

"Hmm..." Melissa hummed, finishing her fixes and examining the ex-roserade again. "It looks good, but I can't help but feel like it's missing something." She eyed Sophia's white hair, then glanced at her own straw hat. She grabbed the black hat and placed it on top of Sophia, smiling as she did. "Perfect, the black goes well with your white hair," she said.

"B-but... it's... y-your hat," Sophia whispered.

"Meh, keep it." Melissa waved off. "I had it for a while now and I'm sick of it, it suits you better."

Sophia looked at the brim of the black hat, then smiled at the brunette. "T-thank you... Mel... Melis-sa. I r-really... a-apperci-ate... this," she said.

"Anytime Sophia." Melissa smiled back, then said, "Although, you'll need to repay me for this..." Sophia gave her a puzzled look, wondering what she meant. The brunette turned her head towards the kitchen, then smiled devilishly. "Oh, I know, you can repay me by letting me eat Aaron's food."

"Oh, um... o-okay." Sophia quipped. "H-how mu-?"

"All of it," Melissa said, not letting the ex-roserade finish.

"B-but, won't he... get m-mad?" Sophia asked.

"Probably." The brunette shrugged. "It's not the first time I've done this. Besides, if he _does_ get mad, I'll just repay him for the things I ate."

Before Sophia could even respond to that, Melissa had already went into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and other various cabinets, and grabbing what ever she saw. Sophia sighed at monstrous brunette before walking into the kitchen herself.

 _"Forgive me, Aaron.'_


	9. Chapter 9

Sophia watched as Melissa made a raid on the kitchen, eating most of the food they had. The room was a mess, with various leftovers of food scattered about the place. the ex-roserade estimated that it would take at least an hour to clean the mess up. Once Melissa finished her raid, she laid herself on the floor, taking a couple of bottles of soda with her. A large content smile was sprawled across her face, to which Sophia frowned at.

"Oh man, that was great," Melissa said on the floor. "We should do this again sometime Sophia."

"H-how can you... e-eat so much... and stay th-that skinny...?" Sophia asked.

"That's for me to know, and for no one to find out," the brunette laughed, then picked up one of the bottles next to her. "Cheers!" she said while holding up and opening the bottle, then began to gulp down the soda within. Sophia shook her head in disapproval.

Suddenly, the front door of the house was unlocked and opened, with Aaron walking through it and into the house. "Hey, I'm home! What's... going..."

He stopped himself when he saw the absolute mess that was his kitchen. He stepped through the bits and pieces of food and went into the living room, where he saw Melissa laying on the ground with a bottle in her hand. The brunette gave him a knowing smile without bothering to look up, to which he responded with a glare.

"Why?" he asked.

"Hungry." She answered.

Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is the _second_ time you've done this, Melissa."

"Yep," she said.

The angered teen opened to his yell something at the brunette, but stopped himself with a tired groan. "You know what? This is _my_ fault. Knowing how _you_ are, I should've taken precautions to prevent this," he said.

"Yep," Melissa chuckled in a rather dumb voice, her smile increasing.

"You know you're going to pay for this, right?" Aaron asked, earning a nod from the brunette. "When?"

Melissa shrugged. "I dunno, one or two maybe?"

"One or two what?" Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Hours? Days? Weeks?"

"Yeah," Melissa said, not choosing one of the options, which made Aaron glare at her again. "I'm kidding, just take this a moment as a way get another favor from me."

Aaron kept his glare on her for a few more seconds before sighing in defeat. "Fine, but this is never happening again, understand?" he told her.

"I can't guarantee that," Melissa responded, then took another gulp from her soda. Just then, her face lit up as she remembered something important. "Oh right! Almost forgot to tell you, little Sophie here can still use some of her powers!"

Within that moment, all of the anger on Aaron's face was washed away completely, and instead was replaced with astonishment. "W-what?" he asked quietly.

"You heard me, she can still use her powers," Melissa said again while pointing at the ex-roserade.

Aaron turned to Sophia, not believing what he was told. "Is... is this true?" he asked.

Rather than answer him, Sophia held up one of her hands and created a shadow ball, the purple ghostly sphere hovered above it. Aaron's widened at the sight of it, looking more shocked than before.

"Woah," he said with awe.

"That's what I said," Melissa laughed quietly.

The ex-roserade dispersed the shadow ball before speaking. "I... c-can use a lot o-of m-moves I had as a r-roser-ade... b-but not all of them," she said.

Aaron remained quiet for a while, not knowing what to say. His expression was a mix of surprise and of fear, which confused Sophia. When he noticed that she was staring, he quickly shook off his scared look and smiled afterward.

"That's great Sophia," he whispered. "That's... really great..."

Sophia noticed how off his voice sounded, knowing that something was wrong. "What is i-it...?" she asked.

"N-nothing, it's nothing." Aaron waved off. "I was just surprised is all... this whole week has just been surprising for me." Before the ex-roserade could respond, Aaron turned toward the door. "I'll be back, have to go to the grocery store to restock on what was lost," he said.

Sophia took a step forward. "O-oh, let me come w-with you to hel-"

"T-thanks for offering Sophia, but you should stay here and help Melissa clean up." Aaron interrupted while turning back to Sophia.

"Aw what?!" Melissa complained. "But I don't wanna!"

Aaron sent her another glare. "Nope, you make a mess, _you_ clean it." He turned for the again before saying. "I'll be back soon." The teen left the house once more, locking the door behind him.

Melissa groaned as she got up from the floor. "One of these days Sophia, you're going to teach me how to use that lillipup eyes trick," she said.

"H-hey... Melissa," Sophia spoke softly. "D-did... Aaron s-seem kinda... n-ner-vous... to you...?"

"i don't know, I wasn't really looking at him," the brunette responded. "Why?"

"He s-seemed... off to me," Sophia whispered while looking at the door.

"He was just probably sad that he had to back into that rain, I know I would be if I were him." Melissa shrugged, then went into the kitchen. "C'mon, this mess isn't going to clean itself, unfortunately."

* * *

It didn't take long for the duo to clean the mess Melissa made, the brunette did most of the work since it was her's to begin with. Once they finished cleaning, they decided to just sit and watch TV, waiting for Aaron to return. Melissa sat on the couch lazily and flipped through the channels constantly. A blank expression covered her face, showing how bored she was.

"There... is... _nothing_... to watch," she said ever so slowly.

Just then, the front door was unlocked and opened again. Aaron stepped into the house once more; most of his clothes were soaked by the rain. He was carrying multiple large bags in his arms and set them down on the counter-top when he got the chance.

"Wow, you actually cleaned up Melissa," he said with fake astonishment. "It looks normal again."

"Yeah well there was nothing else to do around here other than watch TV," Melissa responded, not looking away from the screen. "Makes me wonder how Sophia hasn't died of boredom yet, stuck in this house."

"Hey, it's not _that_ boring!" Aaron exclaimed, then looked to Sophia. "Right?"

"W-well... I-I wish there was... m-more to do a-around here... no o-offense," she replied meekly.

Hoping up from the couch with a small groan, Melissa made her way to her backpack before saying, "First: in your face Aaron. Second: come over here Sophie."

The ex-roserade got up from the couch, overhearing Aaron curse to himself. When she got close to the brunette, she could see Melissa holding two objects, an xtransceiver, and a large metal rectangle.

"Hold out your hand." Melissa ordered, to which Sophia followed. The brunette then wrapped the xtransceiver around the ex-roserade's wrist. "I take it you've seen these things before. Think of it as a mini phone, you can use it to call others you have on your contacts list." Melissa explained.

"Then... what's t-that?" Sophia asked pointing at the metal rectangle.

"This," the brunette said while grabbing the object and opening half of it, revealing the contents underneath. The top portion had screen that was turned off, and the bottom portion had a keyboard, along with other various buttons. "Is your new laptop, a personal computer that you can use for just about anything. I'll let Aaron explain how to use it." She finished.

"Whoa there Melissa," Aaron said, watching the brunette give Sophia the items. "Are you sure that you want to give these away? I can just buy her these things myself."

"Don't worry about it, I bought new ones for myself a couple days ago, see?" the brunette said while lowering one of the sleeves of her trench coat, revealing an xtransceiver. "I was going to get rid of these things anyway."

Aaron gave the brunette a thankful smile before glancing over at the ex-roserade. "Your luck is through the roof Sophia," he said, still smiling.

"Th-thank you, Melissa...!" Sophia said happily. "I r-really need to... re-p-pay you for this... s-some-d-day...!"

"Oh, I know." The brunette smiled back. "Just teach me that 'trick' of yours, and we'll be all good." She winked at the ex-roserade, referring to their earlier conversation.

"What trick...?" Aaron eyed the duo carefully. "What is she talking about Sophia?"

"Oh, it's none of your concern Aaron," Melissa said. "... Yet."

"Y-yeah, don't w-worry about i-it Aaron." Sophia smiled.

Aaron paused for moment before giving up. "Fine, be that way. I'll find out sooner or later." He glanced at the brunette. "So Melissa, you spending the night here?"

"I have a backpack that's the size of half of my body and I ate the vast majority of your food, what do you think?" she responded.

"Okay okay, geez," he said quickly. "Just put your stuff in the guest room."

"Yeah, I'll do that soon," the brunette said. "I plan on staying here for about a week. After what you told me this morning, I wanted to stay here and teach Sophia what I know. That, and I couldn't skip out on the free food." She smiled.

"Alright, sounds good, expect for the free food part," Aaron responded, earning a chuckle from Melissa. The two then turned over to Sophia. "How does this sound Sophia? You'll have someone to keep you company during the day now." Aaron grinned.

"Yeah, by the time this is all over, we'll be like sisters," Melissa said with a smile.

Sophia couldn't help but smile back. "I th-think it's a g-great p-plan, she... c-can t-teach me more... a-about... b-being... a h-human."

"That's the idea," Melissa said. "Now c'mon, let's go teach you how to use this thing." She closed the laptop and made her way to guest room, with Aaron and Sophia following her.

"And when you say 'we'. you mean me, right?" Aaron questioned.

"Don't you remember what I said earlier?" Melissa remarked while raising an eyebrow.

"That's why I'm asking."

"What do you think Aaron?"

"Well, you said 'we', which really confused me."

"It confused you that much?"

"Yep."

"Hey! That's my line!"

"Yep."

"Stop it!"

"Kay."

"I mean it! Stop mocking me!"

"Kay."

Sophia smiled at the duo's bickering as she followed them into the guest room, excited for the next couple of days.

 _"This will be fun.'_ She thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Five days have passed since Melissa decided to stay with Sophia and Aaron. During that time, the brunette has been teaching the ex-roserade everything she knows about being a woman, letting her know how do dress and take care of herself; her teachings have been more in depth than Aaron's.

Sophia was currently located in the guest room, sitting on the bed within the room and using the laptop Melissa gave her. On the screen was various pictures of clothes that Sophia wanted get, each one filling the ex-roserade with glee. The clothes on screen were currently on sale at a nearby clothing store that Melissa planned on taking Sophia to.

 _"They're all so pretty, I want to try them all on...'_ She thought.

A sudden crash emerged from the kitchen, interrupting Sophia's awe at the clothes. She closed the laptop and went to the area to investigate what happened. When she arrived in the kitchen, she saw Melissa sitting on the ground next to the refrigerator. Near the brunette was scattered pieces of a plate and small pieces of bitten food, which must have fell onto the ground well Melissa fell.

"Dammit," she groaned in low voice. "What's the stupid combination to this thing?!"

She was referring to the lock Aaron placed on the refrigerator door, which effectively kept Melissa from opening it. She got up and tried to pry the lock off with her hands, but the lock stayed connected to the handles of the fridge, not letting her through. The brunette pulled harder, but soon lost her grip and fell to the floor with a large thud, groaning in pain afterward. Sophia, who was watching from the doorway, couldn't help but chuckle at the brunette's attempts. Melissa however overheard the ex-roserade's laugh and whipped her head towards her location, smiling as she did.

"Sophia! You know the combo to this thing, right?" Melissa asked quickly, earning a nod from the white hair girl. The brunette's smile increased before she said, "Weeeell? What is it? I need to know! I'm starving!"

"She's not going to tell you," Aaron said, appearing behind Sophia in the doorway, glaring at Melissa. "And you're not eating any more of my food, not until dinner."

"Whaaaat?!" Melissa whined. "But that's hooouuurs from now! Please Aaron, I'm begging you!" She tried using the lillipup eyes trick that Sophia was secretly teaching her behind the black haired teen's back. The brunette's attempt however failed, due to Aaron not being effected by the eyes.

"Clean up that mess," he told the brunette before returning into the living room.

Melissa pouted at her failure, then turned to Sophia. "Why didn't it work?" she asked.

"You're not putting enough cuteness and sadness that's required into the stare." Sophia answered, getting a annoyed groan from the brunette. Melissa reached out to the broken pieces of the plate, cleaning up the mess she made and cursing the lock while doing so. Sophia laughed quietly once more before she started to return to the guest room.

"Another person has gone missing today." A voice from the TV informed, gaining Sophia's attention. She saw that the television was tuned to a news channel, which had a picture of a teenage boy's face. "If anyone has any details on his last known whereabouts, please contact the Unova Defense Force with this information, thank you."

Sophia heard Aaron sigh, noticing that he was sitting on the couch. "That's the fourth person that went missing this week," he said while holding his head with one hand, covering most of the stern look on his face.

"People have gone missing?" Sophia asked, learning about this just now.

Aaron gave her a small nod. "Some of them were pokemon trainers. They and their pokemon have disappeared without a trace," he said quietly, seeming depressed.

"What is it?" Sophia asked, sitting down next to him. "You never look this sad."

"It's... nothing," he whispered. "Just remembering the past is all." Sophia put one of her arms around him to slightly embrace the teen, trying to cheer him up. He cracked a small smile at her actions. "I can always count on you for a smile, huh?" he said, making the ex-roserade blush a bit.

At that moment, Melissa entered the room, finished cleaning the mess in the kitchen. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We were talking about some of the people that have gone missing," Sophia replied.

The brunette went silent for a couple seconds, her expression darkening a bit. "Missing people, huh? The ones that disappeared without a trace?" She questioned, earning a nod from the ex-roserade. "Sounds exactly like what happened to Ryan," she whispered.

 _"Ryan.'_ Sophia recognized the name. He was another childhood friend of Aaron and Melissa. He, like the brunette, accompanied Aaron on his journey, acting as a encyclopedia on pokemon. On the rare occasion were the party's spirits were down, he would crack a joke or two in an attempt to cheer them up, usually succeeding in doing so.

However, just about a week before Aaron retired, Ryan vanished without a trace, which confused Sophia. She knows that he would never leave without saying something first, and yet he disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

"He was... like a brother to us," Melissa whispered. "Always smiling and saying puns that would make you cringe. And now, he's just... gone."

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence after the brunette said that. Aaron and Melissa stared at their feet with pained looks on their faces, both saddened at the memories of their missing friend. Sophia frowned sadly at the depressing air and tried to think of something that would lighten up the mood.

"H-hey, we shouldn't be moping around," she finally said, breaking the silence. "I know, how about we go shopping like we planned? That'll brighten up the mood."

Melissa glanced at the ex-roserade, then smiled lightly. "Yeah, you're right, we shouldn't be all sad-like," she said. "Let's go, it's a nice day outside anyways." The brunette approached the door and opened it, revealing the heavy rain that poured outside. Thunder echoed through the skies, showing signs that the storm wouldn't let up. Melissa glared at the darkened clouds above, not happy with the outcome. "Screw you too, nature!" she yelled.

Sophia grabbed two umbrellas that were near the door, handing one of them to Melissa. She put on a pair of black boots, then looked back at Aaron, who was still sitting down on the couch with his head down.

"Aren't you coming?" Sophia asked.

"O-oh, right." Aaron looked up at the duo near the door. "I'll meet you guys at the store, I'm gonna stay here for a bit."

Sophia gave him a small nod before walking outside and opening the umbrella, which shielded her from the heavy rain. Melissa did the same, then lead the way toward the store, leaving Aaron behind at the house.

As the duo made their way through the city, Sophia felt a wave of unease wash over her. She didn't know why, but she felt as if someone was watching her. However, every time she would glance behind herself, she couldn't make out a single soul following them. She decided to walk closer with Melissa, doing whatever she could to feel safe. Once they got to the clothing store, they saw a sign on the door that read 'closed'.

"Oh, that's just perfect!" Melissa yelled, angered by the sign. "Absolutely perfect! My luck is through the roof today, isn't it?!" She glared at the dark clouds above, letting the rain fall on her face. "Well nature, do you have anything else to throw at me?! Because if you do, get it over with already, I'm dying to see what it is!" The rainfall increased, earning a low growl for the brunette.

"Now now, there's no need to get upset. I'm sure it's raining for a reason." A sudden voice called out from behind the duo, making them turn around to see who said it. A woman was standing there, dressed in a militaristic outfit that was mostly black and purple. Her face was covered in a black mask, and a dark purple helmet was on her head. "For all we know, this rain could be putting out a fire, or watering plants, or it might be helping someone in a pokemon battle." She continued.

The mysterious woman took a step forward, which made Melissa and Sophia take a step back. "W-who are you...? What do you want?" Melissa asked with small traces of fear in her voice.

"Oh, that information is not really important right now," the woman said, then looked toward the ex-roserade. "Come with me... Sophia? It's Sophia, right?" she asked.

"Wh-what...?" Sophia whispered, shaking in fear. "H-h-how do you know my name...?!"

The woman laughed quietly. "Sweetheart, you'd be surprised how many people know your name and what happened to you," she said, which made Sophia incredibly silent. "Oh? You thought that it was secret? Well, to general public, sure. But to us, we know all about what happened to you, my dear little _roserade_."

 _"She knows?!'_ Sophia felt terrified at this point, not knowing what to do. _"How does she know?!'_

"'We'?" Melissa questioned quietly. "Whose this 'we'?"

Rather than answer her vocally, the mysterious woman just snapped her fingers in the air. From the shadows, several people and pokemon emerged and approached the duo. The men and women wore similar outfits to her's, but instead of having a purple hue to the clothes and helmets, it had a dark green to them. Sophia backed up even more as they got closer. Melissa however stood in front of the ex-roserade in a defensive stance, wanting to protect her friend.

"If you think I'm just gonna let you take her, you're terribly mistaken," she said in a shaken voice, but stood confidently in front of Sophia.

The woman sighed at the brunette, not impressed by her bravery. "You look like you have potential, you could've been a worthy asset to our cause." She grabbed a handle to a certain object that hung from her hips. "But right now, you're in our way. And people who decide to get in our way..." She pulled out a sword from its sheath, then held it towards Melissa. To the duo's shock, the blade was covered in a yellow fire-like substance. "... Must be exposed of." She finished.

Not a second later, the woman dashed toward the duo, holding up her sword to strike Melissa down. The brunette's eyes widened as she got closer, and she shut them tight once the woman swung the sword at her, bracing for the slash.

" **Melissa!** " Sophia screamed in terror.

 _Clash!_

The sound of metal hitting metal rang through the air, along with sparks flying all around. A figure stood in front of Melissa, blocking the mysterious woman's strike with a saber; said saber was covered in a blue fire-like substance. When Melissa opened her eyes, she gasped at the person in front of her.

"A-Aaron?!" she yelled.

Aaron pushed into the sword lock, keeping the woman's weapon at bay. Not only was his saber covered in the fire-like substance, but the rest of his body was covered in it as well. Both Melissa and Sophia were horribly confused as to what was happening.

The mysterious woman gasped, her eyes were filled with surprise and terror. Taking advantage of his opponent's shock, Aaron quickly rammed his foot into her stomach, kicking her away from the sword lock and forcing back several feet.

"I-it's him!" the woman shouted at the other men, women, and pokemon. "Capture him!"

Following her order, the men, women and pokemon charged at Aaron, pulling out various weapons that could cause serious bodily damage. The teen walked forward, not deterred by the group of people charging at him. Two men jumped at him once they got close enough, preparing to strike him with their blades. Aaron held up his saber and blocked the strikes, not putting much, if any, effort into it. Then, he pushed the men back and slashed them with incredible speed. The two men gasped at the sudden cuts, then fell over to the ground, motionless.

 _"Did... did Aaron just...?'_ Sophia thought.

"Bastard!" Another woman ran toward him with a war hammer, preparing to swing it at him. Aaron ducked before the strike could hit him, then slashed his saber at the woman's abdomen. She, like the men before her, gasped in pain before slowing falling to ground, writhing in agony. A bisharp charged at him soon afterward, swinging a night slash at the teen. Just like the strikes from before, Aaron dodged the attack by side stepping, then proceeded to hit the metal pokemon with saber, making it collapse.

"What... what's going on...?" Melissa whispered, not believing what she was seeing. "This... this is a j-joke, right? This is all just some sick joke, right?!" she whispered to no one in particular.

"Get the white hair girl!" A sudden cry came from another group charging at the duo. "She's the objective!"

A shiftry was the closest one charging at them, its eyes filled with malice. But before it could get too close, a green sphere flew threw the air and crashed into the dark type pokemon. It cried out in pain as it was thrown back towards its' comrades, crashing into them. Sophia looked to were the green sphere came from, seeing a silhouette stand on top of the store's roof. The bodily figure was feminine, and her hand was extended toward the group that was charging at them before.

 _"Did she make that sphere?'_ Sophia questioned in her mind.

The silhouette jumped down and landed next to the duo, making herself visible. Her outfit was similar to that of a Unova Defense Force uniform, but it was green and had pieces of light armor on her shoulders, forearms, chest, and legs. The helmet she wore, however, was different from a UDF's. The helmet covered the top portion of her head, but the rest was visible, showing off her rather pale skin.

The woman pulled out two sabers and stood in front of the duo in a defensive stance. Like Aaron, she too was glowing in a fire-like substance, but it was green instead of blue. Aaron approached the woman and stood by her side, taking a stance as well. They glared at the forces that tried to attack them, ready for battle.

"We... we can't take them both at once! Not with the forces we have right now!" One of the opposing men exclaimed to his comrades. "Fall back!"

The men and women pulled out metal spheres from their pockets and threw them at the ground. A second later, a thick smokescreen covered the area, making it difficult to see. Once several seconds passed, the screen started to disperse, showing that the opposing forces have disappeared. The bodies that were cut down were gone as well, leaving behind small pools of blood.

Several more seconds of silence filled the air, no one uttering a word. Sophia stared off into the distance, trying to figure out what just transpired. Melissa was on her knees, her eyes were wide as dinner plates, filled with shock. Rain continued to fall onto the group as they remained quiet.

"... Alright." Melissa finally spoke up, breaking the silence. Aaron and the woman next to him glanced her way as she stood up. "I have one question for you, Aaron." She slowly made her way to the teen. Once her got close enough, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and brought his head close to her angered face. " **What the hell is going on here?!** " she screamed.

 _"Good question.'_ Sophia thought lightly.


	11. Chapter 11

Heavy rain continued to fall onto the group, never letting up. Sophia kept her stare off into the distance, still trying to wrap her head around the situation. Meanwhile, Melissa was going off on Aaron, still holding him by the collar of his shirt while screaming words that were barely understandable to anyone.

"Tell me! TELL ME! Tell me tell me tell me!" the brunette yelled.

Aaron gave her blank stare, waiting for her to get most of the rage out of her system. His head was constantly rocked back and forth as Melissa shook the collar, trying to make him say something. The woman who was standing near the two took a step forward and tried to speak to the flailing brunette.

"Um, e-excuse me..." she said quietly. Melissa didn't hear the soft words over her constant yelling. "Excuse me, miss..." The brunette's screaming didn't cease, which forced the woman to finally yell. "Excuse me!"

Melissa stopped her screaming and whipped her head toward the woman's direction. "You," she said coldly while letting Aaron's collar out of her grip. The brunette took a step toward the woman, sending her a glare. "Who are you and where did you come from?!" she yelled.

The woman paused for a few seconds, then proceeded to sheath her twin sabres. Afterward, she removed her helmet, showing of her pale face and long red-orange hair. Her eyes had a deep green to them, and freckles lightly peppered her cheeks.

"My name is Caroline," she said. "Caroline Lancer. I'm the leader of... well, I'll tell you later, somewhere more private."

Melissa was going to say more, but the sounds of sirens in the distance stopped her. Their blaring alarms got closer with each passing second.

"Crap, it's the UDF," Aaron said. "We gotta move now, or we'll be taken into custody." He ran into a nearby alley, motioning the others to follow. "Let's go, we need to find a safe spot."

Caroline followed the black hair teen, motioning the others to do the same. Sophia paused for a second before following the two, then looked back when she noticed that Melissa was still standing in the same spot, not moving a muscle.

"Melissa, what are you waiting for?" Sophia told the brunette. "We need to go now!"

Melissa stood in the same spot for a few more seconds before she shook her head and followed them. They ran through the alley, crossing through several more and climbing a couple fences along the way. Aaron was leading the group, eventually leading them underneath a bridge. Sophia and Melissa panted when they got under it, tired from the running, while Aaron looked around, making sure that they weren't followed.

"Coast is clear, for now," he said while looking at Caroline.

"Wanna give them the run down?" she asked.

He gave her a small nod, then approached the two tired girls. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?" he said, getting a nod from Sophia and a glare from Melissa. "Okay, were do I begin?" he asked himself.

"How about the part were those people tried to kill me and take Sophia?" Melissa said coldly.

"Right... that," he said. "Those guys were a part of a secret evil organization."

"What, like Team Plasma?" Melissa questioned.

Aaron shook his head in denial. "No, not like that. These guys are _far_ more dangerous than those goons." He explained. "Unlike most of the regional evil organizations, these guys keep their identities secret, and are spread out throughout unova. And, unlike the other teams, they either recruit power people into their cause, or kill them if they refuse. Their plan is to take over the world, and they're going to start with unova."

"That's... that's terrible," Sophia whispered, sickened by the thought of ending someone's life. "Why would they kill them?"

"To keep their organization a secret." Aaron answered. "They don't want the general public to know about their plans." He glanced at the ground with a sadden look, feeling pained about what he was going to say next.

"What is it?" Melissa asked, noticing his sad look.

"Ryan... was murdered by these people," he said suddenly, taking Sophia and Melissa by complete surprise.

"Wh... _What..._?" the brunette whispered in a weak voice, her eyes widened once more.

Aaron kept his eyes glued to the ground. "He was one of the first people they've tried to recruit. He denied the offer, and they... they..." He shut his eyes and cleared his throat, feeling his voice get strained. "They incinerate those that refuse to join their cause, and if they're a trainer, they kill the pokemon as well. That's how they keep their existence a secret, that's how they kept the public from finding the bodies, and that's why I retired as a pokemon trainer. After Caroline showed me what happened, I couldn't just walk away and forget, I _had_ to fight them."

Melissa fell to her knees, feeling horrible sadness swell within her. Tears ran down her cheeks as she covered her face with her hands, weeping away her sorrows. She couldn't believe that her friend was dead; she knew it was a possibility, but she never wanted to accept it. Sophia too felt very saddened at the news of Ryan's death. She placed her back against a wall, still trying to accept the fact that their friend is dead.

"T... t-tell... me," Melissa whispered in a dark voice, feeling most of the sadness in her system get replaced with rage. She looked up at raven hair teen with anger in her eyes. "W-who... **who are these bastards...?** "

Aaron glanced at the brunette, understanding her rage. "Bellator." He answered. "Team Bellator."

"Then... who is Caroline with?" Sophia asked in a small voice, looking at the ginger. "And why did she help us?"

"She is the leader of the group that opposes Team Bellator." Aaron answered. "That, and she's my mentor."

"Mentor?" the ex-roserade whispered. "What did she teach you?"

"A couple things," Aaron responded. "First: she taught me how to fight, both in martial arts and with weapons." He unsheathed his saber a little, showing off a portion of the blade. "Second: she taught me how to use aura."

"Aura? You mean the stuff that the lucario species uses?" Sophia questioned.

"Kinda, yes," Aaron said. He held one of his hands, then proceed to ignite it in the blue fire-like substance from before. "Aura is something that flows through all forms of life. For humans, the color of aura varies between each person. For example, my aura is blue, like a lucario's. It can be used to heal wounds, increase your speed and strength, and can defend the body from certain dangers. However, aura can also be used as a weapon, like so." He opened his hand, and a second later, a blue sphere formed in it, hovering over his palm.

"An aura sphere!" Sophia exclaimed at the sight.

"It can be used on weapons as well, like my sword, or my fists and feet." Aaron continued. "It will make attacks far more powerful than usual." He dispersed the sphere in his hand and let his arm drop to his side. "A lot of people can use aura without even knowing it, but it takes a lot to master it. But when you do, you can take on several people at once if you want to."

"Okay, that explains what was on you guys," Melissa whispered, calming down from her breakdown. "But what group are you guys in?"

"Aurora's Light," Caroline said as she took a step forward. "That's the name of the team I made to fight and stop Team Bellator."

"Um, why the name 'Aurora's Light'?" Melissa asked. "And why are you in an outfit that looks like a UDF uniform?"

"I choose the name because my warrior's aura looks colorful when they're bunched up with each other, like the actual aurora lights. That, and the name 'aurora', sounds a little like aura, which, as I said, my soldiers can use." Caroline answered. "As for my outfit, well, I used to be in the UDF, but I left after I saw the death of your friend. I tried to tell my commanders about what happened, but they were too busy dealing with Team Plasma at the time to really notice."

"Wait, how _did_ you see his murder? I thought that they killed in secret?" Melissa asked.

"I saw it on the feed from our security cameras, back when they were too stupid to check for cameras and destroy them. I tried showing my commanders, but like I said earlier, they were too busy with Team Plasma. So, I resigned from the UDF and created Aurora's Light." Caroline finished.

"I see," Melissa responded.

"Team Bellator tried to take Sophia," Aaron said, gaining everyone's attention. "They know what happened to her, and they know she can still use her powers. They want to use her as a weapon of war, regardless if she refuses to join them."

"So... what do we do then...?" Sophia asked in a quiet voice, afraid of what Team Bellator plans to do with her. "They'll come for me again...!"

"Well Sophia, you have two choices," Caroline said. "One: you can try to run and hide from Team Bellator, which you'll quickly find out that it will be difficult to do so. Or..." She glanced toward Aaron, getting a small nod from him. "You can join us in our efforts to stop Team Bellator and their plans." She extended a hand toward Sophia and Melissa. "You two have so much untapped potential in your systems. With your help, we can stop them, I know it. The choice is yours."

Melissa got back up on her feet, quickly placing her hand on the ginger's. "Count me in. I want to- no, I _need_ to avenge Ryan and those who were murdered by these bastards," she said. "No one should get away with that."

Caroline gave the brunette a small nod before glancing at Sophia. "How about you Sophia? Will you join us? We can keep you from Team Bellator, you don't have to fight them."

The ex-roserade stepped forward, still scared out of her mind. An evil organization wants to capture her to use her as a weapon. She couldn't run from them, they'll find her one way or another.

"No, I won't hide," Sophia said, placing her hand on top of Melissa's and Caroline's. "I want to know how to fight as a human, not just to protect myself, but to protect the people I care about. So please, teach me how to fight."

 _"And, I want to be with Aaron.'_ She thought. _"I know that he's strong, but if something happens to him, I want to be there to protect him, just like how he protected me and Melissa today. I want to be with him when he needs me.'_

Caroline smiled at the duo and gave them another nod. "As of now, you two have joined Aurora's Light. We will fight Team Bellator and bring an end to their chaos!" The ginger exclaimed.

"Oh! I have one more question," Sophia said.

"What might that be Sophia?" Caroline questioned.

"Who is the leader of Team Bellator?" the ex-roserade asked.

The ginger paused for a second before answering Sophia. "We... don't know yet. They've kept their identity as a well hidden secret."

"Even if we did know who they were, we would have to know were their base of operations is located to actually attack them," Aaron said, approaching the girls. "And that could be anywhere. In unova, under the sea, hell maybe even in outer-space."

"I doubt that it's in space... but he's right, we have yet to find their HQ." Caroline agreed. "But that's a problem for another time. Come, let's head for the base. Once we get there, I'll teach you two how to fight."

The ginger walked out from under the bridge, looking around for any hostiles in the area. Once she knew they were in the clear, she motioned everyone to follow her lead. The group headed out into the rainy city, following their leader to the base. Sophia could only hope that no one would attack them along the way.

 _"Yes, I can only hope our journey is safe.'_ She thought.

* * *

 _Click, clack. Click, clack._

The sound of her heels clicking against the floor echoed through the halls of her castle, alerting anyone in the area she was there. She passed by squads of soldiers and maids cleaning the halls, all of which bowed at her presence, as she expected them to do so.

The woman continued to walk through the castle until she arrived at the room she was heading to. She opened the door, revealing a security room that had a large screen on the wall. Said screen had multiple images of different locations in the unova region, each one having orders on squads of soldiers that were sent to the specific locations. Near the bottom of the screen laid the controls, which had several technicians pressing its buttons, controlling the screen. One technician turned toward the woman who entered the room and bowed at her presence.

"M'lady, we've received a transmission from the squad that was sent into the Castelia city," he said.

"Report." The woman ordered in a soft voice.

"I... regret to inform you that their mission ended in failure." The technician continued.

"I see," the woman whispered. "Were they spotted by any civilians?"

"No my queen," he said. "But the objective has escaped with the leader of Aurora's Light, Caroline, and her second in command, Aaron."

The queen gave the man a small nod, allowing him to continue his work. She locked her eyes to the image of Castelia, seeing several small photos of Sophia, Aaron, Melissa, and Caroline hang near it.

 _"So, you've kept her from my clutches, have you Caroline?'_ She thought. _"No matter, she's not what I really need to take over the world. When I have_ him _, the world will be ours.'_

She took the picture of Aaron from the screen and held it near her eyes, examining every little detail of the teen's face. A warm smile crept up her lips as she stared at the photo.

 _"One day, we will be together, my love.'_ She thought. _"We will rule this world together, and there will be nothing to stop us from doing so.'_ Her finger traced along the image, running against his head. _"Right now, you're confused, fighting on the wrong side with the wrong people._ **She's** _forcing you to fight me, but mark my words, I will save you.'_

She brought the image to her chest, wishing that it was the teen's head.

 _"I swear, I_ will _save you.'_

She stared at the picture once more.

" **Aaron,** " she whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

"Achoo!" Aaron sneezed, feeling the rain fall constantly on his head. He, along with Sophia and Melissa, followed Caroline as she lead the way through the streets toward her base.

"Bless you," Sophia said to the black haired teen.

"Oh? Looks like someone's talking about you behind your back," Melissa said with a small grin.

"Meh, probably," Aaron groaned. "After what happened today, it wouldn't surprise me."

"Either that, or you're getting sick," Caroline said as she glanced back at the raven hair teen. "You're walking in the middle of a storm with only a beanie covering your head."

"That too," Aaron responded quietly. Sophia approached him and raised her umbrella higher than it was, bringing him under it to shield him from the rain. "Heh, thanks Sophia." Aaron smiled at the ex-roserade.

Lightning crackled across the sky as the group continued through the rainy city. They came to a stop however when Caroline found a sewer pipe. Aaron approached it and slowly removed the lid from the ground, showing the sewers underneath.

"You have got to be kidding me," Melissa said with a groan. "Your hideout is in the sewers? How unoriginal, and disgusting."

"An underground base is more difficult to find and detect." Caroline explained. "Come on, were wasting time just standing around and talking."

The ginger hopped down into the sewer, landing on the walkway within. Melissa groaned again before she climbed down the ladder, following Caroline. Aaron motioned Sophia to go next, to which she slowly went down the ladder as well. The raven hair teen followed her, putting the lid back over the entrance pipe they climbed down underground.

"Ugh, it reeks down here." Melissa coughed as she looked around the sewer, covering her nose as she did.

"Of course it does," Aaron said. "How do you expect a sewer to smell? Like flowers?"

"No, I was expecting more on the lines of strawberries and apple pie," the brunette responded sarcastically.

"If you two are done bickering like children, we should continue." Caroline ordered sharply, earning a small nod from Aaron and Melissa.

The group continued their journey through the sewer, seeing several pokemon, mostly consisting of muks and zubats, along the way. After a few minutes of exploring, the group came across a large door with a control panel near it. Aaron approached it, punching in a few numbers and placing his hand on the interface for a few seconds. Several clicks emerged from the door, and it slowly opened up, revealing a narrow metal hallway. Caroline led the group through it, coming across another door with two hand sized circles on it.

"Talk about security." Melissa awed at the device and their surroundings.

"Rather be safe than sorry," Caroline responded while walking over to the door and placing her hands on the two circles. Then, she made her palms glow lightly in her green aura, which then spread across the door. Several clicks echoed from within the metal door, and soon after, it opened up.

On the other side of the door was a large open space, showing off tables that sat in neat rows with all kinds of weapons placed on them. Soldiers surrounded the tables, all of them were dressed similarly to Caroline, but their clothing had different colors, varying between blue, red, white, and orange, showing off their different ranks. Catwalks were seen across the walls with soldiers walking among them, acting as watchmen.

"Welcome to the base." Caroline smiled at Melissa and Sophia, who were staring in awe at the large complex.

"This place used to be a cave that was connected to the sewer," Aaron said to the two girls. "Over time, we've slowly built our base of operations here. This place is a lot bigger than what you see here."

The group continued through the base, Melissa and Sophia stared at everything as Carol and Aaron led the way. Soon, the four arrived to a large crater, which acted as a training area for the base. Groups of soldiers could be seen within it, all of which were sparring among themselves.

"We have a little over two-thousand soldiers in our cause," Carol said. "They're spread throughout unova, looking out for Team Bellator. We're still growing in numbers, but our overall army is small compared to Bellator's forces."

"How many people does Bellator have?" Sophia asked.

"Over ten-thousand warriors." Aaron answered. "And still growing."

"Whoa," Melissa whispered. "And that's spread all over unova?"

Aaron gave her a nod. "Some of their soldiers are tough aura users, they are not to be underestimated."

"How do you hope to beat that many soldiers?" Sophia frowned worriedly.

"Don't worry about the numbers, Sophia." Caroline reassured the ex-roserade. "One of my soldiers are a match for ten of Bellator's men, depending on their strength and aura."

Sophia glanced down at the soldiers sparring below, noticing some of them glow in their own colored aura. "Speaking of aura," she whispered. "Are we going to start learning how to use it right away? I kinda wanna see what color mine is."

"If you want to, sure." Caroline gave the ex-roserade a small grin. "We can start in that room over there." She pointed at a door on the other side of the crater. "Meet me there when your ready."

The ginger made her way around the large crater, making it into the room on the other side quickly. Melissa took a step forward, about to follow her, Aaron however stopped her, grabbing her arm quickly and making her cease her movements.

"Wait Melissa, I should let you and Sophia know that some people find it difficult to use aura, some can't even use it," he said. "It may be tough for you guys to get into."

"Relax Aaron," Melissa said with a smile. "You know me, there's almost nothing I can't do."

"I mean it Melissa, this is something entirely different from what you normally do." Aaron continued. "You have to have a clear mind if you want to truly use aura for the first time-"

"Aaron, _relax_ ," the brunette said again, keeping her smile. "I know I mess around a lot, but I know when get serious when the situation calls for it. I _know_ I can do this."

"Yeah Aaron, there's no need to worry." Sophia smiled at the raven hair teen. "And even if I can't use it, I still have my old powers to fall back on."

Aaron glanced at the ex-roserade, and couldn't help but to smile back at her. "Alright then, let's begin your training."

The curly haired teen led the way around the crater, opening the door for the two girls. When they entered the room, they immediately noticed how different the interior was compared to the rest of the base. The room was mostly wooden and had the lights dimmed, making it have a more peaceful atmosphere to it than the rest of the complex. They saw Caroline sitting on a yoga mat, her eyes were closed and she lightly glowed in her green aura.

"Let's begin, shall we?" she said, motioning her hand to the three mats in front of her. "Please, take a seat."

Melissa and Sophia took their seats on the left and right mats respectively. Aaron soon joined them after he closed the door to the room, shutting out the sound from outside. He sat down on the mat in the middle.

"To use aura, you need to concentrate," Caroline said softly. "For beginners like yourselves, you'll need to be in a peaceful location to start using it. Once you get used to it, you can use it whenever and where ever you are." She opened her green orbs to look at the three in front of her. "Let's start with a simple lesson, give Aaron one of your hands." She instructed.

The two girls followed the order, extending their hands towards the raven hair teen. He grabbed their palms with his own, which unintentionally earned a light blush from Sophia. Then, he started to glow in his blue aura, which spread to Sophia and Melissa. Both where quickly covered in the blue fiery substance, feeling at ease when they realized how nice it felt.

"This... this feels incredible...!" Melissa awed at the aura around her. "It kinda feels like warm water flowing on the body."

"That's how aura normally feels like," Carol said. "It helps the body in many ways, such as healing wounds or helping you run faster. Now, concentrate on the aura, ease your minds into it."

Sophia and Melissa lightly shut their eyes, relaxing into the feeling of the aura. Aaron released their hands from his grip, disconnecting his aura to them. When Sophia opened her eyes, she saw the aura covering her body was no longer blue, but was instead a hue of purple. She glanced at Melissa, seeing the aura covering her was red.

"It's easier to use aura when it's passed on from another aura user." Caroline explained. "The aura you see now is being generated from you. Like I said before, aura can be used to heal the body from injuries, although it will take a while for the wounds to fully heal, depending on how much aura you use." She raised one of her hands and created a green aura sphere, letting it hover above her palm. "However, aura can also be used as a weapon. Spreading it to the blades of your swords or infusing it into your fists will make them more deadlier than before. You can also make it into spheres and throw them at your enemies. Injuries from aura are more difficult to heal as well, so be careful when you fight other aura users."

The green aura sphere in the ginger's hand dispersed, evaporating into the air. Aaron held up his hands near the two girls beside him and created a blue aura sphere in each one, both hovering above his palms.

"Now, place your hands under the spheres to hold them." The ginger ordered.

Sophia slowly slid her hand onto Aaron's palm, carefully avoiding contact with the blue sphere. Melissa however went in and tried to touch the sphere, only to recoil her hand back and yelp at the burning sensation in her hand.

"Ow! Hot hot hot hot hot!" she yelled, waving her hand around back and fort, trying to ease the pain.

"Don't touch the sphere directly!" Caroline told the brunette. "It was made with the intent to hurt others."

"Could've said that before I tried to hold it..." Melissa grumbled under her breath. She tried again, this time sliding her hand underneath the sphere and onto Aaron's palm. The curly haired teen slowly put his hands down, allowing the spheres to stay in the girl's palms. Slowly, both spheres changed into Sophia's and Melissa's respective colors, purple and red.

"It's kinda like holding an energy ball," Sophia whispered, looking into the now purple sphere.

"It may take some time for you two to create aura spheres of your own," Caroline said. "But now you know what it's like to hold one. When you get used to using your aura, I'll teach you how to infuse it with weapons."

Melissa and Sophia felt the orbs disperse in hands after a few seconds, watching as it evaporated. Both smiled at one another, happy at the fact that they can use aura now.

"Thus ends our lesson for today," the ginger said. "Tomorrow, when you have more energy, I'll teach you more about the arts of using aura. Go on, rest up for today, I've already prepared your beds in the barracks."

"W-we're not going back to the house...?" Sophia asked slowly. "But... what about all of our belongings?"

"We can't go back Sophia, not with Team Bellator hunting you down," Aaron told the ex-roserade. "But don't worry, our belongings should be safe. They're after you, not the house."

Sophia sighed sadly, not happy with the news. "So we'll be living underground then?"

"For now, yes." Caroline answered. "But once Team Bellator is defeated, you can go back to your house again, I promise."

"We can't risk your safety Sophia," Aaron said.

"... O-okay... I guess..." Sophia mumbled.

Melissa hoped up onto her feet, seemingly unaffected by the fact she has to live underground. "Do you guys have any food around here? I'm famished," she said.

"Oh, of course," Caroline responded. "The cafeteria is near the entr-"

"That's all I needed to hear," the brunette said before she grabbed Aaron by his wrist and dragged him along. "Let's go Aaron! You're leading the way to the food!" She cheered gleefully.

"H-hey! Wait a minute!" Aaron yelled while being forced to come along. "You can't just drag m-!"

"Yes I can," Melissa told him with a smirk. Sophia quickly got up from her spot and followed the two, while Caroline laughed quietly at their bickering.

"You're going the wrong way!" Aaron yelled at the brunette. "The cafeteria is over _there!_ Near the entrance!"

"Why didn't you say that before?!" Melissa yelled back, turning them around and following where the raven hair teen pointed his finger towards.

"Did you not hear Carol say it was next to the entrance?"

"She said that?"

"You're hopeless."

"Less whining, more leading the way!"

"I _would_ be leading the way if you weren't dragging me like a child!"

"That's because you _are_ a child."

"Oh please, I'm way more mature than you are."

"Kay."

The trio passed by several groups of soldiers along the way, all of which were staring at Aaron and Melissa in bewilderment. Some of them whispered to one another, wondering why the second in command of their army was being hopelessly dragged by some random recruit.

"Can you let me go?" Aaron asked, tired of being dragged on the floor.

"Why yes Aaron, I'm fully capable of letting you go," Melissa responded with another grin.

Aaron groaned at the brunette in annoyance. "Ugh... fine. _May_ you let me go?"

"That's better, but no."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm enjoying embarrassing you in front of your peers."

Aaron groaned in annoyance once again, while Sophia laughed quietly at their antics. Some of the soldiers watching the spectacle couldn't help but to join the ex-roserade in her quiet laughter, finding the duo's bickering amusing.


	13. Chapter 13

Similar to how she attacked Aaron's kitchen, Melissa didn't hold back on her assault in the cafeteria. There were a dozen of plates on the table the trio chose to sit at with various types of foods on them. Ten of the plates belonged to the brunette, while Aaron and Sophia only had one each, which had salads on them.

Melissa glanced at their plates in confusion, wondering why they chose salads. "How on earth can you guys be satisfied with _that?_ " she asked.

"Well, unlike _you_ , I don't have the appetite of a mamoswine," Aaron told the brunette. "Besides, I'm not that hungry."

Melissa glanced at the ex-roserade, wanting to hear her piece. "What about you? A dish without meat doesn't sound right to me."

"Well..." Sophia began. "I used to be roserade, remember? Meat wasn't in my diet, and it still isn't."

"So you've never tried any kind of meat before?" Melissa questioned, earning a nod from the ex-roserade. The brunette took a plate that had three pieces of chicken drumsticks then slid it across the table toward Sophia. "Try that, let's see what you really think of it," she said.

Sophia stared at the cooked food in front of her, not sure what to think of it. She slowly picked up one of the drumsticks and eyed it for a few seconds before sniffing it. She frowned afterward, not enjoying the smell of the cooked meat.

"Come on, go ahead and bite it," Melissa said in a giddy voice, getting impatient.

Sophia looked at the drumstick one last time before sighing and biting into it. The piece of meat settled in her mouth for a few seconds before the ex-roserade's face cringed with disgust. She immediately coughed up the piece of chicken, the leftover taste still settled in her mouth.

"Ew! Ew ew ew! It's gross!" Sophia yelled, overreacting like a child. "Get it away, I don't like it!"

She pushed the plate away and quickly grabbed her glass of water, gulping it down to wash away the taste of the meat. Melissa laughed at the ex-roserade, pulling back the plate of meat. Meanwhile Aaron shook his head, at the brunette, not enjoying her small chuckles.

"Heh heh! Guess you really don't like meat, huh?! Heh heh!" Melissa laughed while picking up the same drumstick Sophia tried and bit into it herself, liking the taste of the meat.

Sophia put down the now empty cup, panting to herself. "N-never... never again," she whispered.

The trio went about eating their food for the next hour or so. Melissa chomped down the mountain of plates she had while Sophia and Aaron slowly and quietly ate their salads. Once they were finished, they saw that Melissa devoured all of the food from the ten plates she brought with her. The brunette was slumped over on the table, her stomach full from so much food.

"Ha... ha ha... ah." Melissa mumbled, slowly raising her head and looking at Aaron. "That food... was delicious... It was almost... as good... as your cooking... Aar... Aar... ah..." The rest of the brunette's words were unintelligible gibberish. She yawned, then let her head fall onto the table, falling into a deep sleep.

Aaron sighed, pushing away his now empty plate. "What am I going to do with her?" he whispered under his breath before approaching the sleeping brunette, picking her up bridal style. One of Melissa's arms dangled on the side as she was carried. "Come on, I'll show you were the barracks are," Aaron said to the ex-roserade. Sophia followed him closely through the large complex as he lead the way, both of them listening to Melissa's small snores.

"Hey, Aaron?" Sophia said to curly hair teen, earning a hum from him. "How did you meet Carol?"

He went silent for a few seconds, thinking about the time when he first met the ginger. "It was a couple days after Ryan disappeared, she approached me and told that he was killed. At first, I didn't believe her, so I dismissed what she said and was tried to continue my search for him. But when she showed me the security footage..." His voice was weak as he went off, going quiet for few more seconds. "I... cried. I cried so much," he whispered. "The only other time I broke down like that was when my mother died."

"I see," Sophia whispered, remembering the ordeal of his mother's death. She perished when he was only thirteen, right in the middle of his journey. Sophia heard it was from natural causes, but she didn't know what truly caused her death. "What happened next?" the ex-roserade asked, wanting to hear the rest.

"Well... after I recovered from my breakdown, she told me who killed him, and asked me to join her in her quest to stop them from killing anymore people." He continued. "She told me I had a lot of potential within me."

"Potential?" Sophia questioned.

"She meant my aura." Aaron explained. "She has this special sense that allows her to feel how powerful someone's aura is. She felt how strong yours and Melissa's was as well. The sense also allows her to feel how far someone close to her is and feel what emotions they're going through."

"Do you have the sense?"

"No, that ability is rare among aura users. Anyways, I accepted her request, and left my pokemon trainer roots behind. She taught me how to fight and how to use my aura both offensively and defensively."

"Why didn't you tell us about any of this?" Sophia asked, referring to herself and Melissa being left in the dark for so long.

"I wanted to, believe me, I did," Aaron whispered. "But I knew that if I told you guys, you'd want to come and help me, meaning that you would put your lives in danger in doing so. I don't want to- no, I _can't_ lose someone else I care about. If I lost anymore of my friends like how I lost my mother and Ryan, I... I don't think my heart could handle it." He glanced at the ex-roserade with a sad look. "I'm sorry I lied to you for all this time, I'm sorry for keeping this as a secret, I only did it to keep you guys safe. I hope you understand."

"No no, I do understand," Sophia said quickly. "And I forgive you Aaron, I really do." The teen smiled softly at the ex-roserade, feeling at little at ease from her words. "Did... did you ever find Ryan's killer?" Sophia asked.

"No, sadly," Aaron responded quietly. "The security footage showed that the killer was a hooded figure, and that they used a dagger to kill him." His face got sterner as he thought about his deceased friend's murderer. "But when I do find them, I'll make them pay for what they've done, **I swear I will**..."

It wasn't long until the duo came across the female barracks. Aaron slowly opened the door and peeked inside; he sighed in relief afterward, then slowly opened the rest of the door, walking inside and motioning Sophia to follow. The duo passed by rows of bunk-beads throughout the room, most of which were occupied by sleeping female soldiers, lightly clothed underneath their blankets. Aaron tip toed as quietly as possible, trying to avert his eyes away from the sleeping warriors. Sophia did the same, not wanting to wake up any of them accidentally.

The duo came to a halt at the end of the room, coming across a bunk-bed that sat against the wall. The top bed had purple sheets, while the bottom bed had red sheets. Aaron placed Melissa underneath the red sheets of the bottom bunk, then motioned Sophia to climb up to the top bunk. Once both of the girls were in their beds, Aaron smiled up at Sophia before preparing to leave.

"Sleep well Sophia," he whispered.

"You're not staying?" Sophia asked in a quiet voice.

"Definitely not," Aaron responded. "This is the women's barracks, it's really bad that I'm in here right now. But don't worry, you'll have Melissa and the rest of these loyal soldiers to stay with."

"Oh, alright then," Sophia sighed sadly.

"Hey now, no need to get upset." Aaron smiled. "We'll see each other again in the morning. Get some rest until then."

Sophia gave him a small grin. "Okay."

He gave her a small nod, then tip-toed his way through the barracks again, making his way out. Once he got to the door, he opened it slowly and left through it, closing it without a sound. Sophia smiled at his success before turning herself towards the wall and falling asleep shortly afterward.

* * *

Aaron closed the door to the women's barracks, sighing in relief that no one woke up while he was in there. The thought of getting caught would've been a nightmare for the nineteen year old, one he didn't want to go through.

"My oh my." Carol's voice called out behind him, making the teen jump in surprise. "Going into the women's barracks while everyone's asleep? You really are a pervert Aaron." She smiled.

"C-Carol!" Aaron yelped. "I-it's not what it looks like, I promise! I was just showing Sophia and Melissa were their bunks were, that's all!"

"Sure you were." The ginger cooed, the smile she had increased a little. "Just like that time you 'accidentally' walked into the women's showers."

"Do _not_ bring that up!" Aaron told the ginger. "That _was_ an accident, you know how terrible my observance is in the morning! I can barely tell which sign says what! Besides, I didn't-!" He stopped himself from uttering another word, trying not to remember that day.

"Besides...?" Carol went on, the smile on her face getting a little wider.

"Nothing," Aaron said quickly, still trying not to remember. "There's nothing else."

"We both know there's something else," Caroline said, taking a step forward.

"No there isn't."

"Yes there is."

"Nope."

"Aaron..."

"NOPE."

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, wanting to hear him say it. "As your leader and mentor, I order you to tell what happened." When he glanced at the floor and muttered to himself, the ginger took another step forward. "Look me in the eyes and say it."

Aaron sighed before looking up, showing that he was blushing from remembering the unpleasant memory. "I... didn't mean to walk all the way into the women's showers and see you completely naked," he said slowly, feeling embarrassed.

Caroline smiled again, then placed on of her hands on his shoulder. "There, that wasn't so difficult now was it?" she said, then opened the door to the barracks. "Besides, I got a pretty good view of your nude body myself," she laughed before closing the door.

Aaron felt several chills run down his spine, almost forgetting that he too was naked that day. He stood their for a couple more seconds before he smacked his hand onto his forehead and groaned tiredly, then made his way to the men's barracks, cursing that day along the way.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the women's barrack's door, Caroline chuckled quietly, trying not to wake up her fellow soldiers.

 _"He's too easy to tease.'_ She thought.


	14. Chapter 14

Melissa jolted up from her slumber, feeling most of her body was covered in a light coat of cold sweat. She breathed heavily and held her head in confusion and fear; the brunette recalled the nightmare she had, one of which was very lifelike. She saw flashes of her friends laying on the ground horribly injured, and a silhouette standing over them, holding an unconscious Aaron in their arms. He too, like her other friends, was beaten half to death. The unknown figure laughed at them before turning around and leaving, taking Aaron with them.

After a couple more fear inducing seconds, Melissa came to her senses and looked at her surroundings. She was in the bottom of a bunk bed underneath light red sheets, and the bed itself was rather soft. Glancing at the rest of the room, she saw more bunk beds with sleeping female soldiers in them. Sighing lightly, the brunette removed the red sheets and rose up from the bed. She checked who occupied the top bunk, and wasn't surprised when she saw a sleeping Sophia in it. The ex-roserade slept softly with a small smile on her lips, enjoying the dream she was going through. Melissa grinned at her, noting how peaceful Sophia looked while she was sleeping.

The brunette exited the barracks, still exhausted from her interrupted slumber. Her body shook lightly as the images from her nightmare plagued her mind; She tried to think of anything else, but the nightmare's images wouldn't cease popping up. As Melissa walked, noticed several ghost type pokemon floating or walking through the halls, patrolling them through the night. Some of them glanced at her before continuing their watch, knowing she was an ally.

Melissa made her way through the underground base, wondering how large the complex really was. After about a minute of exploring, she heard the light sounds of metal clashing against metal echo through the halls. She followed the sounds, and soon came across the large training crater. Several ghost type pokemon were looking down at the crater, watching what was happening within it. Melissa checked the crater herself, and saw Aaron and Caroline sparring with their sabers. Aaron was now dressed similarly to the ginger, helmet and all. His clothing however was a dark blue and his armor was slightly larger. Both were glowing in their aura, and were constantly going on the offensive and defensive, trying to find a weak spot on their opponent to exploit. After their blades clashed for a final time, both jumped away from each other, catching a breath from the friendly battle.

"Wow, you two were really going at it." Melissa called down to the duo, leaning against the railing. She smiled at them when they realized she was there.

"You're up early." Aaron looked up at the brunette, letting his guard down for a moment.

"Right back at ya," the brunette responded. "By the way, hasn't anyone ever told you not to get distracted when you're in a fight?"

Aaron cocked his head in confusion before he realized what she meant. By the time he glanced back at Caroline, she had already dashed closely toward him and tackled the teen onto the ground, effectively pinning him. Aaron grunted as he felt the air heave out of his lungs as he was pushed onto the floor. He tried to move, but came to a halt when he saw the ginger holding one of her sabers close towards his neck.

" _I_ did, at the start of his training." Caroline called up to the brunette while glaring down at Aaron, expecting him to yield. The curly hair teen chuckled quietly at his sudden defeat, releasing his saber from his grip.

"Alright, you win for today," Aaron said. "Next time though, you should prepare for the worst."

"I'm sure." The ginger rolled her eyes and got off him, helping Aaron up in the process. She glanced up at Melissa before saying, "So, what are you doing up so early?"

"Nightmare." Melissa answered.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Nightmare you say? What was it about?"

"Oh, you know, a random world-wide food shortage." Melissa lied. "All the meat in the world was transformed into worms."

"You know I can tell when someone's lying, right?" Carol told the brunette.

"Y-you can...?" Melissa stuttered, taken back by the ginger's words.

"Yep, all comes with the aura sense, which allows me to feel what emotions your emanating." Carol confirmed, tapping a finger on the side of her head. "Right now, I can sense a lot of... fear... coming from you, and I doubt a food shortage is _that_ terrifying to you."

"You can sense my emotions...?" Melissa questioned slowly and quietly. "That's... a little creepy, and a violation of my privacy..."

Caroline shrugged. "Sorry, I can't really control the sense, so I'll unintentionally feel yours and other's emotions. I'm still trying to learn how to wield it correctly."

"So, do you wanna talk about it?" Aaron asked the brunette, getting back on the topic of her nightmare.

"I'd... rather not," Melissa said, already seeing the images that frightened her in her sleep. Carol and Sophia's bloody bodies were on the ground, and the figure carrying Aaron laughed in a devilish voice. "It's messed up just thinking about it," she whispered.

"Hmm... well, how about we take your mind off it then?" Carol offered the brunette. "We could teach you how to fight with a weapon, how does that sound?"

The brunette thought about it, thinking that training _would_ help her get off the topic of her nightmare. "Okay, I guess," she said. "But I don't want some regular sword! I want something more interesting and unique."

"Alright then, come on down and follow me," Aaron responded, walking over to a nearby wall then placed his hand on it. He pulsed the wall with his aura, and after a couple seconds, it began moved itself, revealing a large armory with all kinds of weapons within.

"Whoa..." Melissa awed at the room before she climbed down the ladder and made her way over to Aaron and Carol. She walked all over the armory, gazing at each of the individual weapons stored on each rack like a child in a candy store.

"Go ahead, choose whatever weapon you want," Caroline said. "You can keep what you choose."

Melissa kept up her search for a weapon she wanted. She held a couple of them, examining them and seeing how much they weighed before putting them back in their proper racks. After a minute, she came across one that caught her interest. Sitting alone on a weapon rack was a double bladed katana. One blade sat on the end of each hilt, and both blades were pointing opposite of each another. Melissa approached the double katana and picked it up, brushing off the dust that settled on the long handle and blades. She twirled the weapon around her fingers, making it spin slowly.

"This," Melissa whispered with a large grin. " _This_ is the one for me."

Aaron approached the brunette and examined the weapon she chose. "A double bladed katana, huh? Never seen anyone use that before," he said. "Well, interesting choice, I just hope that you can use it right."

Melissa was going to say more, but stopped herself as she stared at the teen in front of her. The thought of him saving her back in Castelia City crossed her mind, and snapping off at him and Caroline afterward. The memory caused the brunette feel guilty, so she frowned and stared at the ground as the same thought bounced around her head.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"... For what? The double blade?" Aaron said, confused by her sudden sadness. "Well... it's noth-"

"Not just that," Melissa said, cutting him off. "I... meant for saving Sophia and I back in the city. I... never thanked you for that yesterday, in fact... I kinda snapped off at you. I'm sorry for all of that..."

Aaron paused for a second before placing a hand on one of the brunette's shoulders, giving her a smile. "There's no need to apologize Melissa, I did what I had to do," he said. "Don't you remember the promise we made?"

Melissa recalled the day she and Aaron made the promise, said promise was a couple days after Ryan disappeared. They swore to one another that they would keep each other safe and in sight, so that way neither of them would vanish like their friend.

"For the rest of my life, I intend to keep that promise, so please, don't fret." Aaron kept his smile, trying to reassure the brunette. "Besides, I know if I were in that kind of situation, you'd do the same for me, so there's no need to apologize."

Melissa gave him a small grin, feeling comfort from his words. "Still, thanks for saving me, I owe you one," she said.

"Anytime," he responded. "Now, let's go practice in the arena."

The duo approached Caroline, who smiled at the touching moment they shared. The trio then returned to the training grounds, during which Melissa stared at her new weapon with awe and curiosity. She continued to spin the double blade constantly, making sure not to move it too fast, not wanting to hurt herself. Caroline approached a rack filled with long training sticks and grabbed a couple, bringing one over to the brunette.

"Now that you've chosen a weapon, we're going to practice with training sticks before we start actually using it," Caroline said to her, wielding two of the sticks she brought with her. "Hold the stick like how you would hold the double blade."

Melissa set the bladed weapon on the floor and held the long training stick, making sure that both of her hands were located in the middle. She spun it around like she did with the double katana, pretending the edges of the sticks were blades. Once she got comfortable with the training stick, she glanced back at Caroline.

"Ready? Let's go," the ginger said, getting into a defensive stance. "Start off by trying to attack me with it."

Melissa gave her a small nod before looking at the training stick once again. She readied herself, then began to run at the ginger, raising her fake weapon for a strike. When she got close, she swung it down, which was easily blocked by Caroline, who knew what her attack was going to be. Melissa made a small grunt, annoyed by her predictability. She quickly swung the other end of the training stick at the ginger, who blocked the next attack with her other training stick. The brunette hopped back a bit, then jabbed her stick forward, trying to hit Caroline in the stomach. The ginger however, moved her body over to the right, dodging the fake stab. Melissa tried to slash at her again, this time coming from below, but like her previous attacks, it was easily blocked by the ginger.

 _"Dammit, I'm making it too easy for her to block my attacks.'_ Melissa thought as she jumped back. _"I have to move quicker, and be less predictable.'_

The brunette closed her eyes and drew in a small breath, relaxing some of her nerves. Once she opened her brown orbs, she charged at Caroline once again. The ginger readied herself and raised her training sticks into a defensive stance, seeing Melissa raise her weapon for a downwards strike. However, right when it seemed she was going to bring the top of the stick down, she quickly diverted and swung the other end of the long pole at the ginger's left side. Caroline's eyes widened a bit in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure and blocked the strike with one of the sticks. Melissa then started to strike at the the ginger with a lot of speed and strength. The flurry of attacks managed to force Caroline back a couple steps while she blocked them, and even forced her to jump back when Melissa slammed one of the ends of the long pole onto the spot she was on. Melissa panted tiredly as she finished her last attack, looking at Caroline for her opinion.

"S-so... what do you think...?" Melissa asked, still panting from the short exercise.

Carol gave the tired brunette a small smile as she lowered her dual training sticks. "Not bad, not bad at all," she said. "You need several improvements in your form and attacks, but hey, that's why we're training. For now, let's focus on your form."

Melissa heard Aaron grab another training stick that was identical to her's. He approached her and begun to instruct the brunette on proper stances.

"Alright Melissa, follow my lead." Aaron instructed, getting into a certain stance and holding the stick like Melissa. The brunette quickly copied his form and began to mimic what he was doing, learning how to wield her weapon properly.

* * *

The Bellator queen sat quietly on her throne, thinking to herself deeply. She was conflicted, to say the least; she wanted to launch her forces onto unova today and see the savages of the army called 'Aurora's Light' burn. She wanted to spread the rest of her influence across the globe, and slowly shape it into her image. She wanted to torture Caroline half to death for turning Aaron against her.

 _"Aaron...'_

The Bellator queen ever so badly wanted to be with the teen. She wanted to hold him, kiss him, love him, protect him, and make the teen her king. The queen couldn't wait for the day she would finally make love with him, and to start a family with him. The anticipation was killing her.

She shook her head at the thoughts, lightly blushing and grinning to herself. _"Now's not the time to really think about that sort of stuff."_ She thought. _"Not for now anyways."_

Suddenly, a Bellator soldier entered the room and approached the throne. He kneeled at the sight of queen once he was close enough. "Your majesty, your plans grow closer to completion," he said. "In several weeks, they'll be ready for your final command."

"I see," the queen said. "Dismissed." The soldier nodded before rising up and leaving the room. Once he was gone, the queen smiled once more.

 _"In a couple weeks, Bellator's forces will be unleashed. Once it is, unova will be within our grasp, then the rest of the world will follow suite. There will be nothing to stop us, and once we're unleashed..."_

The grin on her face grew into a devilish toothy smile as she thought about the destruction of her enemies.

 _"You'll be my main target_ , _**Aurora's Light**_ _.'_


	15. Chapter 15

Sophia quietly rose from her slumber, taking a look around and remembering she was in the female barracks. She yawned a bit as she glanced at the mostly empty bunks of the room. Most of the soldiers were gone, save for handful that were still getting up and dressed. Sophia checked the bunk underneath her's and saw that Melissa was gone, so she assumed the brunette got up a while ago and left.

Not wanting to waste any time, Sophia hopped out of the bed and made her way out of the barracks. She wandered through the many halls, asking a couple soldiers where she could find her friends along the way. Several of them pointed out directions towards the large training arena, saying they saw the 'commander' there. The ex-roserade assumed that title meant either Caroline or Aaron, so she made her way towards the crater.

After a minute of walking, she finally arrived to her destination, looking over the rails to see her friends training in the arena. The ex-roserade saw Melissa and Aaron dressed similarly to Caroline and the rest of the soldiers. Melissa's outfit was a light blue, like a couple soldiers she's seen before. Both were currently sparring with actual weapons, glowing lightly in their aura. Meanwhile, Carol was barking orders at Melissa, watching her every move as she went on a slow offensive against Aaron.

"Focus Melissa!" the ginger yelled. "Finding or making an opening to strike is crucial in a fight! Put more force into your attacks!"

The brunette was panting, exhausted from the heavy training. Sweat poured down her head as she constantly swung her double blade at Aaron, each strike getting weaker and slower than the last. When Melissa swung another attack, Aaron stopped her mid flight by catching the long weapon by the handle. Before long, Melissa slumped forward, forcing the second in command to catch her.

"She's had enough for now, Carol," Aaron said to the ginger, earning a small nod from her. He glanced back at Melissa and gave her a grin. "You did well, take a breather."

Melissa's red aura dispersed from her body as she let out a exhausted sigh, closing her eyes afterward. Aaron gently placed her body on the ground and laid the brunette's double blade next to her, smiling when he heard her mumble how tired she was.

"Man... she looks exhausted." Sophia overheard a nearby male soldier say, who was leaning on the rails. She glanced over and saw he was wearing a white uniform with a large sword sheathed on his hips. Due to him wearing a helmet, the ex-roserade couldn't make out most of his facial features.

"Fighting for two hours straight does that to a rookie," another soldier said, whom was female. She too was wearing a white uniform, and a helmet covered most of her face. But unlike the soldier from before, she didn't have a weapon on her.

"Yeah, but... weren't there two of them?" The male soldier questioned. "Were's the other one?"

"Right next to you," Sophia said with a small smile, making the soldier jump at her sudden voice.

"O-oh! So you're the other rookie?" he asked after he turned around to face the ex-roserade, overhearing his female peer laugh at him. He extended his hand to Sophia before saying, "Name's Kythira, Leo Kythria. I'm the captain of a group of soldiers named charlie company. That's Traxus behind me."

Sophia shook his hand, then both soldiers removed their helmets, revealing their faces to the ex-roserade. The male had shaggy brown hair, along with piercing blue eyes. The female behind him had long jet black hair and a pair of hazel eyes. Both soldiers looked around Aaron's age; they smiled at the ex-roserade.

" _Beth_ Traxus, I'm the captain of phoenix company, an airborne group of soldiers," the women named Beth said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Say, if you don't mind me asking..." Leo went off. "Is it true that you were a... a roserade? There's been a couple rumors going around..."

"Are you seriously believing a rumor?" A deep voice behind Sophia called out, keeping her from answering the captain's question. "You're _too_ gullible."

The ex-roserade turned around to see who was talking and found herself looking at an incredibly tall and muscular man. His height was around seven feet tall and he had a pair of dark green eyes. No hair was on his head, but he had a light shadow of a beard on his face, and his skin was slightly darker than Leo's and Beth's. Like the other two captains, he wore a white uniform, and was holding his helmet in his hand. In his other hand, he held a large war hammer, which rested on his shoulder. On his other shoulder was a small chimchar, who eyed Sophia curiously.

"Shut up, _Cornelius!_ " Leo yelled at the tall man, saying the name with venom in his voice. "For all we know it could be true! Right-? Umm..." He glanced at the ex-roserade, not knowing her name.

"Sophia," the white hair girl told him. "And yes, those rumors are in fact true."

"Ha! In your face!" Leo laughed at the bald man, who blinked in surprise by Sophia's answer. "I told you!"

The tall man shook his head and waved off the other captain off. "Whatever shrimp," he said before putting on his helmet and extending his free hand toward Sophia, offering her a handshake. "My name's Cornelius MacArthur, in case if _pipsqueak_ over there didn't say it clearly, but you can just call me Mac. I lead a group of shock troops called delta company." Sophia accepted the handshake, quickly seeing how her hand was completely dwarfed by Mac's. "And this little guy is Chris, one of my two pokemon," he said, pointing at the chimchar on his shoulder. The little fire monkey waved at Sophia, who smiled back warmly at the fire monkey.

"Oi! Sophia!" Aaron called out to the ex-roserade from the arena, gaining her attention. "Get down here! I want to start your training!"

"On my way!" She called back before waving her goodbye to the three captains. While she climbed down the ladder, she overheard Leo and Mac throw small insults at one another and Beth laugh at their rivalry. The raven haired captain waved back at Sophia as she went into the arena.

Once Sophia made it to the bottom of the ladder, she saw Melissa had already gotten back up on her feet. She was still breathing heavily, still exhausted from her long training. "I'm... I'm so hungry right now..." She muttered, trying to walked over to the ladder. Her steps were poorly coordinated, and she soon fell over from her stumbles. "So... hungry..."

"You need rest, not food," Aaron told the brunette. "Besides, you ate not too long ago."

Melissa mumbled a little, her words were quiet and unintelligible. She lightly snored afterward, falling into a small nap. Caroline stared at her sleeping body, surprised how she was able to sleep somewhere so uncomfortable.

"We... should take her back to the barracks," the ginger said slowly.

"Meh, she's fine," Aaron said, not worried about the brunette. "That monster slept on a rock before and was completely fine the next day. Just... push her off to the side, we'll make sure to avoid her."

Caroline glanced at Melissa once more before shrugging and approaching the sleeping brunette. She lightly rolled Melissa closer to the wall, hearing her groan lightly in the process. Sophia grinned at the brunette as she approached Aaron.

"You ready?" he asked, turning toward the armoury that was located on the other side of the arena. "Let's get you a weapon."

"Actually, Aaron..." Sophia began, getting the second in command's attention. "Maybe... maybe I don't have to wield a weapon."

"And why's that...?" Aaron question slowly.

"Well... for all of my life, I've fought with my powers and wits." She explained. "And since I can still use my powers, I thought... well... maybe I can probably keep doing just that. Maybe I don't have to use a sword or whatever."

Aaron eyed the ex-roserade for a second before sighing. "Look, Sophia... I understand what you're trying to say. But what will you do when someone comes charging at you with a sword or hammer? How will you protect yourself?" He questioned the ex-roserade, who was going to answer, but stopped herself before she could utter a word. "Dodge? That might work at first, but dodging won't keep you safe forever, especially in these types of fights. You _need_ a weapon to survive. If not for attacking, then at least use it for defense."

"I... see," Sophia whispered. "If that's the case, then I guess I don't have much of a choice."

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, but it's necessary," Aaron said, placing one of his hands on her shoulder reassuringly. She lightly blushed at his action, which made the teen smile. "Heh heh, you know, you're cute when you blush." He chuckled, making her face redder as she looked at the ground.

Taking a hold of her hand, Aaron led the ex-roserade toward the armory. Sophia eyed the vast amounts of weapons stored on each rack, noticing how intimidating some of them looked. The ex-roserade had to admit that she was a little scared to choose one.

"Go ahead, have your pick," Aaron said to her.

Sophia kept looking at the weapons, trying to find one that could somewhat fit her style. Her red orbs landed on a rack that held a lone katana, which was in its sheath. She took the weapon and handed it over to Aaron, who unsheathed it to inspect the blade for any nicks or cracks. He gave a couple of twirls around his fingers, getting a feel for it.

"This katana is still in good shape," he said as he gave it another twirl. "No, scratch that, it's in great shape!" He put the blade back into the sheath before giving back to the ex-roserade. "Nice find Sophia."

The duo returned to the arena and began Sophia's training immediately. They put the katana off to the side and practiced with a training stick first, wanting to be safe. Aaron and Caroline taught her how to swing her strikes properly and how to block incoming attacks. Afterward, Sophia practiced on a training dummy, swinging the training stick onto it with precision and force. Their entire practice lasted for around an hour.

"Very good Sophia," Carol said as she watched the ex-roserade hit the training dummy. "Remember to concentrate when striking with your weapon. Don't fling it around aimlessly."

Sophia nodded at the ginger's advice as she continued to hit the dummy. But just as she was about to hit the dummy with a hard strike, her stomach growled loudly, making her stop mid flight. Sophia blushed, embarrassed that she forgot to eat anything.

"Did you... not eat anything this morning Sophia...?" Caroline asked, overhearing her stomach growl. Sophia gave the ginger a small nod. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day little Sophie, let's stop your training for now an get you something to eat."

Sophia put away the training stick and followed Caroline as they approached Aaron, who was chit-chatting with Melissa, whom was still on the floor.

"We're stopping her training for now, she needs to eat." Carol informed her second in command.

"Alright, sounds like a good idea. I'll stay here with Melissa and-" Aaron said before his stomach growled loudly like Sophia's. Caroline heard the small noise and gave him a glare.

"How many times do I have to keep telling you?" she asked, annoyed that he didn't eat anything either.

"Yeah yeah, I know. 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day', yadda yadda yadd-" he said before the ginger slapped the back of his head, interuppting him and making him yelp in pain. "O-ow! What was that for?!" he yelled.

"For mocking me," she said before slapping his head again, this time covering her hand in her green aura, making it more powerful and painful. " _AND_ for not eating breakfast."

"Gah! Okay okay! I'll go! Just stop doing that, it stings!" he yelled in pain as tried to walk over to the ladder. However, he was stopped when Melissa grabbed him by his ankle. She stared at the teen with sad eyes.

"Take me with you, I'm starving!" She pleaded.

"Can't you just get up and walk to the cafeteria?" he asked with annoyance in his voice.

"I'm too tired from our training." She explained.

"That was an _hour_ ago," he told her.

" _Please_...?" She pleaded once more, attempting to use the lillipup eyes to persuade him. Unfortunately for the brunette, the trick still had no effect on Aaron, who looked at her in annoyance.

"Ahem." Carol cleared her throat, catching her second in command's attention again. She held up the same hand she used to smack his head with and covered it in aura, silently threatening him. Aaron gave the hand a fearful look before sighing in defeat; he picked up the brunette and carried her on his back, then proceeded to climb up the ladder slowly. He mumbled to himself in anger and annoyance while Melissa smiled, relieved that she didn't have to move by herself.

Caroline glanced at Sophia, who watched the ordeal in fear. "That's what happens when you don't eat breakfast," she told the ex-roserade before pointing a finger at the ladder. "Now move it!" She barked.

Sophia involuntary saluted, fearful that she was going to be punished like Aaron. She quickly and rapidly climbed the ladder after Aaron and followed him closely as he led the way to the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Caroline smiled at the trio.

 _"They're very promising, I'm glad they're on our side.'_ She thought to herself.


	16. Chapter 16

"I honestly can't think of anything more boring than patrol." A male aurora soldier sighed as he and a fellow female soldier hopped across the many buildings of Castelia city. Rain peppered their red uniforms as they searched the northern sector of the city.

"Yeah, especially since there hasn't been any activity from Bellator as of late." The female soldier agreed as she followed him. "But hey, we should enjoy the peace while we can, no telling what those creeps are planning."

"That's what's bothering me though," the man responded. "We haven't gotten _any_ activity from them. They haven't been seen in the _entire_ region for _weeks_. Whatever they're planning, it isn't good."

" _Nothing_ Team Bellator plans is any good," the woman said. "Which is why we need to stay on guard for when they-"

"Shh... wait..." The male soldier interrupted her, making them both come to a stop. "Do you hear that...?"

The female soldier tried to silence out the rain and thunder, attempting to hear what her comrade was listening to. Sure enough, after a couple of seconds of trying, she could make out a dim thumping in the distance.

"I... I think so," she said. "It kind of sounds like... a lot of people... marching."

"C'mon, let's see where that's coming from." The male soldier motioned her to follow, once again hopping across the buildings. Before long, both soldiers came onto a building that had a view of the gateway that connected the city to the northern parts of unova. Both were horrified by what they saw pouring from the gate.

Legions of Bellator soldiers marched through the entrance and into the city. The civilians that sighted them were terrified when they saw the army unleash their weapons and attack the city. The populace was quick to flee away from the horde, trying get as far as possible from them.

"Holy-!" The female soldier gasped before looking to her comrade. "Contact the base, now!"

"Already on it!" he yelled as he tapped on the interface of his xtransceiver, trying to warn the rest of the army. "C'mon, c'mon! Pick up dammit!" Finally, to the man's relief, another male aurora soldier's face appeared on the small screen.

"Patrol team kairo, what's going-?" The soldier tried to ask.

"There's a _massive_ Bellator army marching into Castelia city!" The man barked, surprising his peer. "You need to warn the-!"

He stopped speaking once he heard his female comrade gasp shockingly; the man quickly looked up, only to see his peer's head get horribly twisted by a woman covered in orange armor. Before the man could react, he felt a metal arm wrap around his neck, which forced him back into a bastard sword that pierced right through him. The blade emerged from his abdomen, making the soldier to cry and gasp out in pain. His vision soon afterward darkened as he and his comrade was thrown onto the ground, both lifeless.

"Kairo?! Kairo come in!" The xtransceiver of the dead soldier echoed, still in contact with the base. The woman in orange armor approached the corpse and ripped off the watch phone, showing her face to the screen. "What the-?!" The base soldier exclaimed.

"Hello there, scumbag!" the armored woman said, smiling brightly to the xtransceiver and showing the soldier her face. She had black hair that was styled into pigtails, tanned skin, and eyes that were a bright blue. "Hey, I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but you might want to warn your boss about _that_." She turned the watch-phone towards the invading army, showing the soldier what she meant. "Because _that_ is going to be all over you within the hour." She finished as she dropped the xtransceiver and smashed it under her armored foot. She and her armored peer then watched as the Bellator army ransacked the city.

* * *

Sophia and Melissa continued their training for several weeks, learning much in that time. They've learned how to use their aura correctly and how to wield weapons for offense and defense. In the midst of their training, Leo and Beth would assist the duo, furthering their combat skills with weapons and martial arts. Each day, they got stronger than before, quickly learning how to fight.

Today, Sophia and Melissa wandered around the facility, exploring the vast complex and bringing their weapons with them. Sophia's katana was sheathed on her hip, while Melissa carried her double on her back, having small sheaths for both blades. They already knew their way around, due to the time they spent in the base, but there were still several areas they had yet to see. Both sported a blue uniform, showing off their recruit status to the rest of the soldiers in the base.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Caroline were discussing how to proceed with their war against Team Bellator. Both were located in the ginger's office. Caroline sat behind a brown desk while Aaron stood nearby. In the middle of their conversation, a soldier entered the room, ready to give the duo a report.

"Sir, ma'am." The soldier saluted. "Most of our patrols are checking in, there's still no sign of any Bellator activity."

"Again?" Caroline raised an eyebrow, earning a nod from the soldier. "That's the fourth week in a row now."

"That's a really bad sign," Aaron said as he crossed his arms, confused as to why their adversaries vanished so suddenly.

"My thoughts as well." Caroline agreed as she glanced at the soldier. "Add more parties to the roster of patrols, and tell them stay on high alert." She ordered. The soldier gave her another salute before turning and leaving the room.

"I don't like this." Aaron frowned. "There hasn't even been a _sighting_ of Team Bellator in almost a month. They _must_ be planning something big."

"Indeed," Caroline said. "We're getting nothing from the other towns and cities of the region. The only thing we can do is to continue searching and to keep staying vigilant-"

"Madam Lancer!" Another soldier burst into the office, startling Aaron and Caroline. "Patrol team kairo just reported in! There's a **huge** amount of Bellator forces marching into the northern section of Castelia city!"

"What?!" Aaron gasped at the information. "How many?!"

"Unknown sir! But I'm assuming it's at least an army of them!" the soldier said. "There's a knight with them!"

"A _knight_?!" Caroline exclaimed. "You're certain?!"

"Yes ma'am," the soldier said. "They... they killed group kairo when they contacted us!"

Caroline's eyes widened as she scrambled to pull out her xtransceiver. She quickly tapped on the interface, cycling through the options until she found the one she was looking for. She pressed it, and soon afterward the entire base was ringing with alarms.

"Attention all hands!" she yelled into the xtransceiver. "Prepare for battle! Bellator soldiers are marching into Castelia city! This s not a drill! I repeat, this is _not_ a drill!"

The soldier ran out of the office, getting ready to issue orders to the other soldiers. Meanwhile Aaron ran out as well, calling back to the ginger as he did.

"I'm going to find Sophia and Melissa!" he yelled as he ran down the hallway.

* * *

Melissa and Sophia were surprised when they heard the alarms go off throughout the base. Both listened to Caroline's voice and saw the Aurora soldiers scramble to get ready for battle. The brunette turned around and ran toward the entrance, having the ex-roserade follow close behind her.

"M-Melissa, what's going on?!" Sophia asked loudly, confused by the panic in the air.

"War." Melissa answered firmly as she took the ex-roserade's wrist in a tight grip. She proceeded to run faster, prompting Sophia to do the same. "We need to find the others!"

Sophia's heart started to race as she followed her friend, not very keen on the idea of fighting the enemy. While she did have fighting experience as pokemon, she knew this was going to be whole new thing all together. She tried her best to shake off the feeling of fear from her system, knowing that this is what she signed up for.

The duo quickly made it to the cafeteria, finding the first captains they met on their second day in the base, Leo, Beth, and Mac. All three were barking orders to the soldiers that ran around, getting ready for the impending battle.

"Let's go people! Move like you've got a purpose!" Leo yelled at the soldiers, pointing at different locations, directing them. "If Bellator wants a fight, we'll give 'em one!"

Once most of the soldiers cleared the area, Melissa and Sophia approached the three captains. "Guys! Do any of you know where Aaron is?!" Melissa asked quickly, wanting to find her friend.

"He should be near Carol's office!" Beth informed them. "Follow me!"

The raven hair captain dashed forward, prompting Melissa and Sophia to do the same. The ran through the complex until the reached a certain corner. When they made the turn, the trio ran smack dab into Aaron, who was also running around the section. All four groaned in pain as they fell onto the floor, aching from the collision.

"Ugh... you guys alright?" Aaron asked with a groan.

"Yeah, I'll live," Melissa said slowly as she got back up on her feet, helping Sophia do the same. "More importantly, what's going on outside?"

"Team Bellator is massing into Castelia city, most likely coming from the desert." The second in command informed.

"How many of them are there?" Sophia asked worriedly.

"Not sure yet, but if they're attacking a large city like Castelia, I can only assume there's a lot of them." He answered.

"Oh, that's perfect," Melissa said sarcastically with a frown.

"C'mon, let's get to armory," Aaron said, motioning the trio to follow. "We need to get you guys prepared for the battle."

"Sir, with all due respect, do you really think they're ready for battle?" Beth asked as they followed the commander. "They haven't had any field experience yet."

"I understand your concern Beth, but we're going to need all hands on deck for this battle," Aaron responded. "Besides, these two have learned a lot in their time here, I know they'll endure this."

Melissa smiled at the captain, trying to reassure her. "Don't worry about me, I'm not the same weakling you guys knew a month ago," she said.

"I haven't fought humans before, but I still have plenty of experience from the battles I had as a pokemon," Sophia said with a grin.

The group made it to the arena, which housed a few soldiers who were still putting on their equipment. They hopped down and ran into the armory, following Aaron until he lead them to equipment they needed. The commander found and grabbed several pieces of armor, handing them over to Sophia and Melissa. The duo put the equipment on, which consisted of armor for their chests, shoulders, forearms, legs, and feet. Once they had the equipment on, Aaron gave both of them Aurora helmets, to which they both put on their heads. The commander gave them nod before proceeding put on some armor of his own, meanwhile Beth equipped herself as well, putting on armor along with two steel gauntlets and steel boots. The duo had almost forgotten that Beth prefers to fight with her hands and feet.

Once the group was ready, they followed Aaron again as he lead the way toward the main entrance on the base. When they got there, Sophia and Melissa stared up in awe as they saw the ceiling of the base open up, revealing the cloudy sky above. Light rain poured into the base as soldiers unleashed pokemon that were capable of flight and rode them outside of the base.

Standing in the middle of the fray was Caroline, who was equipped for battle like everyone else. She held a poke-ball in her hand as she stared up into the rainy sky. The ginger tossed the red sphere in air, and unleashed the pokemon from within. A flygon emerge from the white energy, crying out into the air as it was unleashed. The green dragon bent over, allowing Carol to get on its back.

She looked over at the group and motioned Melissa over. "Melissa, you're with me! Aaron and Sophia, ride with Beth!" The ginger ordered. Melissa said nothing as she got onto the dragon type pokemon, sitting behind Caroline. "To the skies flygon!" Carol said to the dragon, prompting it to flap its wings and take the duo out of the base.

Leo and Mac soon entered the fray, and the bald captain grabbed a poke-ball from his belt. He tossed it in the air and unleashed his gyarados, which roared out to the sky. The two captains hopped onto the water pokemon, and soon afterwards, it took flight into the sky, following Caroline's flygon.

Beth was the last of the three to grab her poke-ball. However, unlike the previous two, her poke-ball was the ultra variant. She tossed the black and yellow sphere, releasing a large ho-oh. The fire bird stretched out it's colorful wings, preparing itself for flight.

While it wasn't the first time Sophia's seen the captain's ho-oh, she was still amazed by the sight of the legendary pokemon. She, along with Aaron, followed Beth as she got onto the fire bird, taking seats behind her. The legendary pokemon flapped its large wings, soon taking the trio into the air and out of the base. They were the last of the aurora soldiers to leave the base, prompting Caroline to close the entrance back up via her xtransceiver.

The trio watched from the skies as several parts of the city burned. Smoke was rising from the streets, and several explosions could be heard in the distance. Not far from their position, they could make out a large battle in the middle of the city. Aurora troops were holding off a large group of Bellator soldiers as they tried to make it deeper into the city. In the skies above the large battle, several Aurora and Bellator soldiers rode on flying pokemon and fought one another, trying to shoot each other down.

Suddenly, Aaron's xtransceiver rang out, which made him answer it. Caroline's face emerged on the small screen once he did. "What's the situation?!" Aaron asked loudly, making sure the ginger could hear him.

"Bellator forces are marching all throughout the northern parts of the city! Our forces are holding them in the middle of Castelia!" Caroline answered. "The UDF head quarters located in the north was completely wiped out! The remaining UDF and several of our forces are still trying to evacuate civilians!"

"Your orders?!" the commander asked.

"Find the knight that's leading this assault! Take them down!" Caroline yelled. "They shouldn't be far from the battle, trying checking the west side of the city first! Take Sophia with you, keep her safe!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Aaron smiled, referring to keeping the ex-roserade safe. "Aaron out!" he said before hanging up the watch phone. "Beth, have ho-oh land in that intersection!" he yelled, pointing at the ground.

"Ho-oh, you heard him, land near those burning cars!" Beth ordered. The legendary pokemon descended onto the streets below, letting Aaron and Sophia jump off when they were close enough.

"Beth, you know the drill! Assist our air forces!" Aaron ordered, receiving a nod from the raven hair captain.

"Good luck guys!" she yelled as she and the ho-oh went back to the skies.

"You too captain!" Aaron yelled back as he and Sophia watched the legendary pokemon take to the skies toward the battle. "Stay close to me," Aaron said to the ex-roserade. Sophia nodded as she followed the commander through the burning city.

* * *

Caroline and Melissa were still riding on the flygon, looking through the burning city for any Bellator activity that wasn't located in the middle of the city. Soon enough, they spotted two dozen Bellator soldiers marching on a street.

"Flygon, take us there!" Caroline said to her dragon, then glanced at Melissa. "You ready for this?!"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" the brunette responded.

The dragon type pokemon dived toward the group of enemy soldiers, who soon spotted the flygon coming toward them. When they got close enough, Caroline hopped off the dragon and shot two aura spheres into the crowd, forcing some of them back and sending a few of them flying. Once she landed, she unsheathed her dual sabers and glared at her adversaries, who proceeded to circle around the ginger, surrounding her.

But before the soldiers could charge in, the ginger's flygon flew in and unleashed a flamethrower onto the crowd. The bellator soldiers either backed away from the incoming flames or were set aflame, doing their best to put out the fires. The flygon hovered over Caroline, allowing Melissa to jump off and stand back to back with her leader. The brunette's blood pumped through her veins, excited and terrified for her first real battle.

"Shall we get started?" Melissa questioned with a smirk, wielding her double blade and glowing her her red aura, the fiery substance covering the blades as well.

Caroline glowed in green aura as she glared down at her opponents, ready for battle. "Take 'em down," she responded to the brunette's question.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the center of Castelia city, the forces of Aurora and Bellator clashed violently against each other, with neither side gaining any ground. While the number of Bellator soldiers outnumbered the Aurora's, the defending army valiantly held them off with everything they had. Single Aurora soldiers could be seen fighting off two or more Bellator warriors at once through the battlefield, keeping the enemy at bay.

In the center of the fierce ground battle was Leo and Mac, who were fighting large amounts of Bellator troops. However, despite the tense situation, the two captain kept their cool. In fact, the two of them held a contest with one another, trying to see who could take down the most amount of enemy soldiers.

"Twenty-seven!" Leo yelled as he slashed his large sword across a Bellator soldier, killing them instantly.

"Thirty-five!" Mac yelled back as he took down three soldiers with a single swing from his hammer, sending them flying.

"What?! That's bullshit!" Leo yelled at the bald man he he shot a yellow aura sphere at a charging soldier, not even bothering to look at the target. The sphere crashed into the woman, knocking her out cold. "I know for a fact that you were still in the twenties!" The brown hair man continued to yell at his peer.

"Maybe if you actually used those ears of yours and listened, you'd know that I'm at thirty-eight!" The bald captain exclaimed as he slammed his red aura infused hammer onto the ground, emitting a shock wave of dark red aura at a group that charged at the large man, forcing them back several yards.

"How the hell can I use my ears in a war zone?!" Leo screamed after he sent a bisharp flying via another yellow aura sphere. "I can barely hear what I'm screaming right now!"

Just then, Beth and her ho-oh strafed the area near the two captains, surprising several of the enemy soldiers. The legendary pokemon launched a large sacred fire into a crowd of Bellator soldiers, while Beth threw orange aura spheres at any enemy she saw.

"Would both of you shut up and focus?!" The female captain barked at her peers. "We need to defend the city! This isn't the time for one of your stupid arguments!"

"Tell that to pipsqueak over there!" Mac yelled.

"Who are you calling pipsqueak?!" Leo screamed.

The raven hair captain groaned in annoyance before she continued to fire aura spheres at the invading army. The legendary pokemon she rode on flew throw the skies, chasing after other flying pokemon and shooting flamethrowers at the enemy ground forces when it got the chance.

* * *

Aaron and Sophia kept running through the empty streets, passing by several burning buildings and cars along the way. Aaron led the way, while Sophia followed close behind, feeling safer the closer she was to him.

"Hey, Aaron?" Sophia said. "I overheard Caroline say something about a knight? Who or what are they?"

Aaron slowed down his running, going into a fast paced walk. "The knights are the commanders of the Bellator forces, there's five of them in total." He answered. "We believe they hold the second highest authority of their total forces, making them only second to their leader."

"And you think one is here right now?" Sophia quipped.

"No doubt, a force this big has to be lead by a knight." The commander continued. "Taking them down would be a huge blow against Team Bellator, which is why we're hunting them down."

"But... won't the knight be tough?" the ex-roserade asked.

"You let me worry about that," Aaron said. "When I'm taking on the knight, you'll take on the soldiers accompanying them. There are bound to be several of them guarding the knight." He glanced at the ex-roserade with a bit of worry. "You can handle them, right?"

Sophia saw his worried expression and gave him a firm nod. "You can count on me!" She exclaimed brightly, easing Aaron's nerves.

The duo continued their search, passing through more burning streets. After a minute of running, Aaron slowed down as he placed himself against the wall of a building. Sophia did the same, staying close to the commander. Aaron peered around the corner and saw a group of Bellator soldiers holding their positions. Near the group was a tall man covered in heavy black armor from head to toe. A large spiked mace rested on his hips as the armored man stood near a small building with his arms crossed.

Aaron ceased his investigation and glared at the corner of the building. "Yeah, there's no doubt now," he whispered to Sophia. "There's a knight, and it's the black one too."

"What does that mean?" Sophia questioned.

Aaron sighed. "We think the black knight leads the other knights, since we've seen the other knights follow his command. That, and he only takes orders from their leader personally. I can only assume he's pretty strong."

"Then this won't be easy," Sophia whispered.

The commander peered around the corner again, and noticed the small building the knight was standing next to. He glanced at the building he and Sophia stood against and formulated a plan in his head.

"Maybe... I can get the jump on him," the commander whispered before informing the ex-roserade about his plan. "Alright Sophia, I'm going to sneak around on top of the buildings and try to surprise attack the knight. When I engage him, you come in and attack the soldiers. Try to keep them off me, okay?"

"Roger," she said, accepting his plan.

"Good, wait here." Aaron backed up from the building and bent his knees. Large amounts of blue aura covered his legs, and soon afterward, he sprang up into the air, jumping at an incredible height. Sophia was startled by the sudden jump, but kept silent and waited for Aaron to get into position.

The ex-roserade peered around the corner just like Aaron did before, seeing the enemy forces ahead. She looked up at the sky and saw Aaron hop across the buildings silently, avoiding detection from the group of soldiers. Before long, he was on top of the building the knight stood near. The commander quietly unsheathed his saber and stood on the ledge of the building. Preparing to strike down on the knight, Aaron stepped off the roof and fell straight toward his target, his body and blade covered in his blue aura.

But to Aaron's and Sophia's surprise, the knight dashed away at the last second, dodging the commander's powerful attack. Aaron's blade dug into the ground, and his aura steamed from the cracks. He quickly looked at the knight, shocked that he avoided the attack.

"Lookie here boys," the black knight said to the Bellator soldiers, who were taken back by Aaron's attack. His dark voice was slightly muffled from the helmet he wore, adding to his intimidating stature. "It's Lancer's second in command, trying to catch us by surprise! I saw you the moment you looked around that building, boy!"

Suddenly, a purple aura sphere crashed near the ground several soldiers stood, sending a couple of them through the air and landing on the street, knocked completely unconscious. The knight and the rest of the soldier looked to where the sphere came from and saw Sophia standing there with her katana in hand. The black knight caught a glimpse of the strands of her white hair and red orbs, making him smile under his helmet.

"And it looks like you brought the pokemon turned human with you!" The knight exclaimed, recognizing Sophia. "Men! Capture her! I'll deal with _him_!" He grabbed his mace and aimed it towards Aaron's direction, who had already taken his saber out of the ground. The commander got into a defensive stance as the knight charged and swung the heavy weapon at him, blocking the heavy strike with his blade.

Meanwhile, Sophia got ready as the remaining crowd of soldiers charged at her. She felt her fear spike, but she followed Caroline's teachings and remained calm. The first soldier that reached her swung the blade of his sword at the ex-roserade, to which her intercepted the attack with her own blade. Within the short sword-lock, Sophia quickly drew her hand back and formed an energy ball within it, then shot it at the soldier, sending him crashing back into his comrades. Sophia then began to throw more energy balls and aura spheres at the enemy force, quickly knocking several of the foes out.

Back to the fight between Aaron and the knight, the commander was thrown on the defensive, either constantly blocking or dodging the quick and heavy strikes the knight threw at him. When the black armored man finally had the teen cornered, he swung the mace downwards with another heavy strike, infusing it with a large amount of grey aura. The strike forced Aaron to block the attack with his aura covered saber, barely keeping the weapon at bay.

"Her majesty is throwing a lot at your army to get you and that freak over there!" The knight taunted the commander, getting closer into the lock. "And I intend to bring you both before her!"

"'Her... majesty'...?" Aaron questioned slowly and roughly into the lock, intrigued by the title.

"In time, you'll understand, you and the rest of your pathetic army!" The knight exclaimed, raising the mace from the lock for another heavy strike.

Within that split moment, Aaron dashed over, narrowly dodging the attack. Seeing the opening, Aaron covered his saber with a large amount of aura and slashed it at the knight, cutting through the armor and onto the knight's abdomen. The black armored man gasped in pain and stumbled backwards, holding his fresh wound in the process.

"Oh... you'll pay for THAT!" The knight exclaimed as he charged at the teen once more. The armored man swung his mace hard and fast, forcing the commander to duck to dodge the attack. The knight however, knew he was going to do that, and slammed his armored knee onto Aaron's head. The helmet he wore absorbed most of the attack, but he gasped as his head was thrown upwards. Then, the knight smacked the commander with the back of his hand, which was encased in a gauntlet. This time, Aaron's helmet was knocked off and fell to the floor, and the commander himself was dazed by the hit. The armored man lunged his hand at the teen's neck and grabbed it, forcing him gasp again. Covering his hand in aura, the knight proceeded to pull Aaron then threw the teen towards an abandoned building, making him crash through the windows. The commander laid on the floor, even more dazed by the attacks he received.

"Aaron!" Sophia yelled as she saw Aaron get thrown into the building. She had just finished taking down the last Bellator soldier with a large amount of sleep powder, which knocked the woman out cold. The ex-roserade charged at the knight, firing an energy ball at the man while she did. While the green sphere made contact and went off, it didn't seem to have an effect on the knight, who laughed at the attack.

"It's going to take more than that to take me down, girl!" he laughed, raising his mace in a defensive position.

Sophia ignored his taunt as she kept up her charge, preparing her katana for an attack. She swung the blade several times at the knight, who easily blocked each attack with his mace. The ex-roserade covered her blade with her purple aura and tried attacking once more, but like her last attempts, the knight intercepted her strike with his mace, covering the weapon in his own aura.

"Ha! Is this the best you can do?!" The knight taunted. "How pathetic!"

The armor man slammed his mace into Sophia's blade, stopping her attack mid flight and staggering the ex-roserade back a couple feet. Taking more ground, the knight proceeded to swing his mace at the white hair girl, forcing her to either block or dodge the attacks. Slamming his mace into the sword more, the knight forced an opening and slammed his fist onto Sophia's head, knocking her helmet off and forcing her to cry out in pain and fall onto the floor. Sophia's hand ran along a fresh bloody cut on her cheek, which she received when the knight punched her. Said knight approached the fallen girl, towering over her.

"You know, her majesty never specified that I _had_ to bring you back in one piece," he said grimly, raising the mace over his head. Sophia's eyes widened at the weapon, fearful of the damage it could cause. "Hope you don't mind a few broken bones, bitch," the knight whispered as he brought the weapon down.

However, once the knight swung the mace down, Aaron appeared in front of him and blocked the downwards strike with his saber. The commander pushed the weapon away and slammed his aura covered foot onto the knight's gut, making the man cough and forcing him back a couple feet back. The knight groaned as he held his aching stomach, then sent a glare at the teen, angered by the attack.

Aaron's expression was darker than his usual tone. His eyes were stern, and he wore a deep frown on his lips. He glanced back at Sophia, noticing the fresh bloody cut on her cheek. The sight of the injury sent heavy amounts of anger through the teen, making him bare his teeth into the frown as he glared at the knight in fury. The commander's blue aura flared on his body and saber as he quickly dashed forward at the armored man. The knight raised his mace to block the incoming attack, however, the weapon was cut in half once Aaron's blade struck it, surprising the knight.

"Don't. You _**ever**_. **Touch her**. **AGAIN!** " Aaron bellowed in rage as he attacked the knight in a flurry of hard swings, each attack cutting through the armor as if it wasn't there. The knight couldn't even dodge the attacks, for Aaron was moving to fast for him read. Rearing back one of his fists and covering it large amounts of blue aura, Aaron slammed the fist into the knight's chest, forcing him back several yards and making him fall flatly on his back. His armor was torn apart, showing off the bloody injuries underneath, and his helmet was thrown off once he hit the ground, revealing his face. His skin had a dark tone to it, and his hair had a low buzz cut. A large old scar ran across his face, and he had a pair of hazel eyes, which where half open as he slowly and painfully got back up.

Aaron breathed heavily as he stared down the knight, his aura's burning flare dying down a little. He got into a defensive pose as the knight took a step forward. However, the commander lowered his sword once he saw several pieces of broken armor fall off the man as he kept walking slowly and painfully. Taking a final step, the man collapsed on his knees, and most of his armor had fallen off, showing the duo the injuries that covered his body.

"Your majesty..." the man whispered coarsely, feeling his life slip away. "I... have failed you..." The rest of his body tumbled forward, hitting the street. He let out his final breath as his vision darkened, signifying his was no longer alive.

Aaron stared at the dead body in front of him, feeling most of his anger leave his system. He inhaled sharply through his nose before breathing out a long sigh. His aura dispersed around his body afterward, no longer flaring. Once he was finished, he turned towards Sophia, who was now standing and staring at the teen in awe. Aaron's eyes widened once he saw the cut on her cheek and quickly ran toward her, getting a closer look at the damage.

"Holy crap, are you alright?!" he said in a worried voice as he cupped her cheek with his hand. "I'm so sorry! I-I should've prevented this!" His hand glowed in aura once more, spreading to the cut and healing it, slowly sealing it up in the process. Once he finished, Aaron wiped away the leftover blood with his thumb. "There, is that better?" he asked.

Sophia didn't respond as she kept staring at the teen, not wanting to look away. She couldn't believe how quickly he came to her defense, protecting her like he did a month ago. Her emotions flared within her as she reached up to touch the hand that still cupped her cheek. Aaron realized this, and tried to withdraw the palm, embarrassed for holding her too long.

"O-oh! S-sorry, I-" He tried to say.

Sophia however, stopped him from withdrawing by tightening her grip on his wrist and slowly bringing the hand back to her cheek. Aaron was a little surprised by this, but eased up once he looked into her crimson eyes. It was odd to him, for every time he looked into her eyes, he always felt his heart flutter. The duo kept their eyes locked, both not want to look away from each other.

 _"N-now's... your... chance...'_ The thought raced through Sophia's head, making her heart race in anticipation. _"D-do... it...'_

Closing her eyes and slowing leaning her head forward, Sophia pressed her lips against his once she got close enough, following her instincts and bringing them into a kiss. The sudden action surprised Aaron, but after a couple of seconds, he slowly eased up again and unconsciously returned the kiss, lightly closing his eyes while he did. The duo kept up their lip-lock for the next several seconds, standing there in the midst of the burning city, as if the war occurring around them wasn't happening. Once the two broke apart to draw in a breath, they once again locked eyes.

"S... Sophia," Aaron whispered to the white hair girl, still holding her cheek.

"Aaron... I," she whispered back before pecking his lips with her own for a quick second. Afterwards, she stared lovingly into his chocolate brown eyes, muttering the three little words she wanted to say for a long time. "I love you..."


	17. Chapter 17

Sophia looked into Aaron's brown eyes, waiting for his vocal response after she kissed him. The commander remained silent, only staring back into her red orbs in shock. His reaction wasn't surprising to the ex-roserade, after all, she _did_ kiss him and poured her heart out to him all in one go. The tip of his saber lightly tapped the ground, due to Aaron lowering it slightly. Sophia was half expecting him to drop it completely.

"Uh... can... c-can you r-repeat that...?" Aaron whispered after clearing his throat, having trouble speaking to the girl in front of him.

Sophia removed the hand that cupped her cheek and brought it down, then clasped both of her hands around it. She tightened her grip on it as she continued to look into his eyes. The ex-roserade gave him a small yet bright smile, and felt her blood rise to her cheeks.

"I s-said... I love you." She repeated, trying to sound more clear than before.

"Oh..." The teen whispered, feeling his heart skip a beat. Soon, he too started to blush as he gave her a smile, trying to relax. "And... it isn't the family type of love... is it?" He questioned slowly.

"N-no, it's more than that," Sophia whispered back, shaking her head in denial.

The commander chuckled a little, feeling dumb for asking such a question. "Right, that was obvious, with that kiss and all," he said. "Umm... when... when did you start getting these... feelings...?"

"B-back when I was a roserade, believe it or not. I've had these feelings for for quite some time now." Sophia answered, her eyes trailing down to her feet. "I-in fact... those feeling were a part of my... w-wish, too."

"W-what?" Aaron said, his eyes widening in surprise.

"My love for you, it was also a part of the wish." Sophia repeated, this time more clearly. "That night, during the meteor shower, I wished that... that-" She stopped herself and took a breath, trying not to choke on her own words. "I-I wanted a way... a way for you to return the feelings I had for you. I wanted you to love me just as much as I loved you. I wished for anything, just one way for you to love me back, and... well... just look at me now, I'm human."

The corners of her crimson eyes started to get watery, knowing that the part she dreaded the most was here. She got closer to to him to bury her head underneath his chin, not wanting him to see her cry. She wept silently as she continued.

"But... even with all of that... you... you probably don't feel the same way, do you...? You.. you probably just love me as a sibling or a daughter, or whatever...! It's... It's not the same kind of love I have for you, is it...?!"

She continued to cry, waiting for him to confirm her thoughts. Once she heard Aaron sigh and sheath his saber, she prepared for the worst. But to her complete shock, he never said the words. Instead, he loosened his hand away from her grip and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a hug. She heard him chuckle softly, and felt the vibration of the small laugh emit from his neck.

"Sophia," he whispered. "You... have no idea how wrong you are."

Her crimsoned eyes opened up and widened once he said that. She looked up at the teen, seeing that he was smiling at her and had a heavy blush on his cheeks. His hand reached out to her face and wiped away the tears with his index finger.

"I do love you, Sophia," Aaron whispered, meaning the words he said. "Probably more than your love for me."

"Wh... what...?!" Sophia beamed, feeling happiness rise within her. "Y-you... you really do...?!"

Rather than answer her with words, Aaron cupped her cheek again and brought her close, once again bringing their lips into a lock. Sophia was shocked for a second, but quickly melted into the lip-lock, kissing him back. Her heart fluttered, beating at a rapid pace. She wrapped he arms around his neck, trying to deepen the kiss they shared. After several seconds they finally separated. Sophia smiled brightly at the commander, feeling her joy overcome her. She placed her head against his chest once more, all the while tears of happiness poured from her eyes.

"Y-you... have no i-idea how h-h-happy I am right n-now!" Sophia cried.

"I think I have a pretty good guess as to how much," Aaron said, smiling at the beaming girl.

The ex-roserade brought her closer again, trying to get another kiss. Aaron however, stopped her by gently placing his index finger on her lips. Sophia backed up and looked at him, confused as to why he stopped her.

"But," he said while drawing away his finger. "Let's wait until _after_ the battle is over. We can talk more about this later."

Sophia blinked, almost forgetting that they were standing in a war-zone. She looked around the burning city, hearing the faint sounds of metal clashing against metal in the distance. She couldn't believe she had her first kiss with him here of all places.

"Right now, everybody needs us right now," Aaron said as he stopped hugging her. "Let's not keep them waiting."

Sophia gave him a nod, still smiling brightly at the teen. Both grabbed their fallen helmets-which were still greatly intact-then Aaron took her hand and started running toward the sounds of battle, wanting to help their allies.

* * *

In the middle of street, Caroline and Melissa fought waves of Bellator forces. Their opponents had them surrounded and had their numbers replenished when another mob of soldiers showed up. Each wave charged at the duo, relentless on trying to eliminate them.

Caroline threw a large green aura sphere at the crowd surrounding them, causing a green explosion to erupt in the targeted area that sent many Bellator soldiers flying. At that moment, one of the soldiers attempted to land a sneak attack with a sword. Unfortunately for the soldier, the ginger saw her attacker approach and used one of her blades to intercept the slash. Using her other blade, she quickly slashed at the soldier's opening, making him to gasp in pain and fall over. Another soldier wielding a war hammer ran at the ginger, wanting to avenge his fallen comrade. He swung the large weapon down, but Caroline twirled around it, narrowly dodging the fatal strike. She quickly aimed and fired an aura sphere at the soldier, sending him flying back towards his allies.

The ginger made a quick glance at the rookie accompanying her, seeing how she was fairing. The brunette was surrounded like Caroline, but the soldiers around her were constantly moving back and fourth to stay away from the rapidly spinning double-blade Melissa used. She spun in place at a quick rate, ensuring the spinning blades protected her on all sides. Any Bellator soldier that got too close was quickly cut down by her.

Once the brunette ceased her spinning, she engulfed one of the ends of her double-blade and embedded it into the street. Channeling more of her red aura into the weapon, the fiery substance began to spread through the street around the soldiers, creating several cracks in its wake. The Bellator soldiers backed away from the sudden openings in the street, earning a small demonic chuckle from Melissa.

"Say goodnight, _**creeps**_." She smiled as she pulsed in her aura, sending the pulse through the weapon and into the ground. The cracks around the soldiers flared up in red aura, and went off into a maroon explosion, throwing multiple soldiers into the air. The soldiers that weren't sent airborne were thrown into the walls of the buildings surrounding them effectively rending them unfit for further battle.

Melissa removed the blade from the ground at looked around at the fallen soldiers before her. All of them, including the ones that surrounded Caroline, were wiped out, most of which were thrown back by several yards. But to the brunette's confusion, she couldn't see the ginger anywhere. She was slightly frighten, afraid that she might have hurt her leader. Suddenly, to Melissa's surprise and relief, Caroline made a landing onto the street. The ginger's legs were covered in her green aura, and she frowned at the brunette before her.

"Next time, try to be more careful with that move, especially when you're around our allies," she said. "If I didn't jump, that attack would've done a number on me."

"R-right, sorry." The brunette apologized before her eyes lit up with curiosity. "Wait, you _jumped_ to dodge my attack?" She questioned. "You can jump that high?!"

The ginger gave her a small nod. "Aura jump. It's a little difficult to learn, but I want to teach you and Sophia how to use it some day," she said before scanning the area of anymore Bellator forces. "Well, since were done with this mob, we should move on and help our forces in the middle of the city. The battle is still raging-"

She was cut off when her xtransceiver went off, signaling that someone was calling her. She quickly raised her arm to answer the small phone, seeing Aaron's face appear on the screen as she did.

"Carol, Sophia and I just defeated the black knight." He informed the ginger. "We're moving on into the middle to assist."

Caroline's eyes lit up, surprised with the news. "Wait, you killed the black knight?" she asked. "And he was alone?"

"Yes and no," Aaron said. "I killed him, but he had some soldiers backing him up. Sophia took care of them while I took him on."

"That's... odd," Caroline whispered. "Why didn't he have another knight helping him?"

"No idea, they're probably somewhere else in the city," Aaron said. "I'll go after them once Sophia and I are done helping in the middle."

Caroline thought to herself for a second before giving her second in command a nod. "Roger, we'll meet you there, Lancer ou-."

"Oh, wait!" Aaron yelled before she could hang up. "Almost forgot to tell you! Before the knight fell, he mentioned something about their leader, calling them, 'her majesty'."

"What?" Carol gasped, finally having a lead on the leader they've been hunting for so long.

"'Her majesty'?" Melissa pitched in as she approched the ginger. "That sounds like royalty."

"We'll discuss this later," Caroline said, shaking off her surprise. "Right now, our forces need us, let's head for the middle."

"Roger that, Aaron out," the commander said before he cut off the transmission.

Caroline motioned her flygon to land next to them which was returning from a strafing run it just made. She and Melissa got onto the green dragon once it touched down, then were sent into the air as the flygon flapped its wings.

"Hey, Carol?!" Melissa said in a loud voice, finding it difficult to hear in the air.

"What is it?!" the ginger yelled back.

"Have we figured out how many soldiers Team Bellator brought into the city?!" the brunette asked.

"A little over five-thousand!" Caroline answered.

"Say wha-?!" Melissa gasped. "That's literally half of their total forces! Can we hold them back?!"

"Don't worry! My soldiers are more than a match for them!" Caroline reassured the brunette. "They're each highly trained to use aura! So they can take on multiple Bellator soldiers by themselves! They'll fight to the death to keep this city and its people safe!"

"While that's comforting to hear, five-thousand soldiers is still a big number!" Melissa sighed. "By the way, I heard that Aaron took out one of the knights, how many are there in total?!"

"Five!" Caroline answered. "But since Aaron killed one, there's only four left! If they're here, we'll take them down as well!"

Melissa gave the ginger a small nod before she felt a sudden pain whiz through her mind. She held her head in pain as she felt it pulse through her mind.

"What is it?!" Caroline asked, noticing the brunette's sudden jolt.

"I... I-I don't know!" Melissa responded. "I... It feels like something... _terrible_... just came into the city...! I... I got a bad feeling about this battle!"

"All the more reason to end it!" Caroline yelled as she glanced at her dragon. "Flygon! Take us to the middle, quickly!" The dragon type pokemon obeyed the command as it increased its flying speed, trying to get to the main battle as fast as it could.

* * *

Within the northern section of the city, the orange knight and her red armored peer landed onto the street, were they met up with two more knights. The four approached each other when a Bellator soldier came running towards them.

"Royal knights!" The soldier quickly bowed, panting from the running she did. "We've just recieved word that the black knight was defeated in battle! His killer was none other than Aaron!"

The four knights weren't bothered by the sudden news, nor did they seem to care that their leader was killed. In fact, the orange knight smiled at the soldier, somewhat happy that the black knight is dead.

"Wow, he's already dead," one of the knights said in a blank voice. She covered in dark blue armor and had twin daggers sheathed on her hips. Her shoulder length blond hair flowed through the wind as her brown eyes stared blankly at the soldier. "Just like how the queen predicted," she said.

"It wouldn't be a surprise even _if_ the queen didn't tell us," Another knight said. His armor was dark red and he had a large bastard sword sheathed at his hip. His brown hair was cut into a thick mohawk and his eyes had a dark green hue to them. "He was going up against one their most powerful warriors." He continued.

"With him being the weakest of us all, he didn't stand a chance," A knight wearing green armor said. He was taller than his peers, along with his skin being tanner. His blond hair had a short buzz cut and his hazel eyes had a dark look to them. A large and intimidating war hammer laid on his back. "I still don't understand why the queen made him the black knight," he said.

"Who do think is going to replace him?" The orange knight asked, her blue eyes shinning with curiosity. "I hope it's not some weakling!"

"Oh, there will be a replacement for the position sooner than you think."

The sudden voice called out from the fog, which all of the knights recognized. All four of them bowed on one knee as the steps rang out. Emerging from the fog was none other than the Bellator queen, wearing small smile on her face. She wore a dark grey battle dress that had armor covering the shoulders, chest, forearms, legs, and parts of the skirt. While the armor was not as heavy or large as the knight's, it was far more exotic and light. Along with the light armor, she wore a small purple cape on her back which flowed in the wind. Her hair was dyed into a dark purple and was in a messy bob cut. Her eyes had an unnatural purple hue to them, which wasn't normal compared to the average eye color. A scimitar was sheathed on her hips, the sheath itself was decorated with a Bellator emblem.

"Rise, my loyal knights," she said to four, to which they rose up on their feet once more. "In time, unova will be under our control. Once the plan is executed perfectly, the rest of the reig-"

She stopped herself once she saw a group of Aurora soldiers charging ahead. The group wasn't large, only consisting of ten soldiers, but it was still a threat, at least to the knights. Said knights noticed the group as well, turning around and pulling out their weapons, getting ready for battle. The four was about to charge forward, but they stopped themselves once they saw the queen slowly walk past them and towards the group of soldiers.

"We have visual contact of the four knights! I repeat, we've found the knights!" One of the soldiers barked into his xtransceiver. "However, there seems to be another unknown contact with them!"

"She must be with them!" a female soldier yelled. "Capture her and take down the knights!"

The Bellator queen ceased her movement and stared at the charging group. Within a split second, her purple eyes glowed brightly as she extended an open hand at the group. The hand was quickly covered with a light see through blue energy, and soon afterward, the charging group came to a immediate halt. Each of their bodies were covered in the same energy that was on the queen's hand, and were unable to move.

"Wh-what's going on...?!" a soldier yelled, confused by the energy. "I-I can't move...!"

"Is this aura...?!" another soldier yelled.

The queen smiled at their confused reactions as she slowly raised the energy covered hand. She made the hand twist violently, which in turn caused all of the soldier's heads to twist horribly as well, snapping their necks and killing them instantly. The energy around the queen's hand dispersed, doing the same with the dead soldiers and allowing their bodies to fall onto the street, completely lifeless.

"Now... as I was saying," the queen said as she turned back towards her knights. "We'll have another black knight soon, but first, we need to stay true to the plan. When Lancer and all of her captains get to the main battle, have our forces pull back. Once we draw them out, our goal will be in reach." She glanced up at the sky, seeing the battle that raged on above. "When you see Aaron, let me know of his location immediately." She ordered.

"Yes your majesty," all the knights said simultaneously, bowing before they ran off in different directions, following their orders.

The queen chuckled lightly as she saw her knights run off. "This is all going according to plan," she whispered.


	18. Chapter 18

The endless sounds of clashing metal and aura filled the air. The center of the burning city housed a massive chaotic battle between the forces of Team Bellator and Aurora's Light. Soldiers on both sides were either fighting with everything they had, or were laying on the ground, lifeless. Within the skies, pokemon capable of flight were carrying soldiers of both factions and were battling with one another. They shot at each other with anything they could, whether it be aura spheres or moves used by pokemon. Those that were unfortunate enough to get hit fell to their doom.

In the middle of the air battle was Beth and her ho-oh. The legendary pokemon made periodic strafes over the ground to attack the opposing force, while Beth was shooting aura sphere at any Bellator soldier she saw and barked orders at her subordinates. From her view, she saw more Bellator soldiers pour into the fray, knowing that this battle wasn't going to be over anytime soon.

On the ground, Leo and Mac, the two aurora captains leading the ground defense, fought with everything they had, from their aura and weapons, to their fists and feet. Both stopped their competition, due to either the stakes being too high, or being too preoccupied with the enemy to really keep count. Neither captain knew, nor did they care, they were just trying to keep the center from falling into enemy hands. But no matter how many Bellator soldiers the duo took down, two or three would take their place. The captains, along with the other Aurora soldiers, were becoming exhausted, and saw no end to the battle that raged on.

Suddenly Caroline's flygon flew over head, and the leader herself jumped off the dragon and fell into the fray. The moment she touched down, she immediately drew in a lot of aura into her fist and smashed it into the ground, causing a shock wave to go off around her and sending any Bellator soldier nearby flying. She quickly unsheathed her sabers and clashed with the forces that charged at her, taking on multiple soldiers at once. Her flygon strafed the air over her, launching a deadly flamethrower at the Bellator soldiers it saw and being careful not to hit any Aurora soldiers.

In the middle of the strafe, Melissa jumped off as well, landing on one of the Bellator soldiers. She hurled multiple large red aura sphere at the crowds of enemy soldiers around her, taking out as many as she could before being forced to draw out her double-blade to defend from an oncoming sword strike. She quickly kicked the warrior away before clashing with even more that charged at her.

The Aurora soldiers saw the duo battle and cheered them on, feeling their morale increase at the sight of their leader. Despite being tried and injured from battle, the allied warriors ran over to Melissa's and Caroline's sides, determined to help them fight. Seeing this, more and more Aurora soldiers pushed on against the large amounts of Bellator soldiers, actually managing to push them back a bit. Within those few seconds, the tide of the battle of turning to Aurora's favor.

Seeing this, Melissa couldn't help but smile at her allies, seeing what the effect of morale can do for a soldier. Unforunately, she had to drop the good feelings when she saw another mob of enemy warriors charge at her. She prepared herself for the group, but to her surprise, something shot down from the sky and into the middle of the group, causing a blue explosion to go off and knocking the bellator soldiers all over the battlefield. Once the smoke evaporated, Melissa saw Aaron rise up on his feet and place the blade of his saber on his shoulder.

"Hello there!" Aaron said to the brunette, giving her a small grin.

"Wh... where did you come from...?!" Melissa asked, flabbergasted by his sudden appearance.

"From the sky!" He answered while shooting a Bellator soldier that charged at him with a aura sphere, not even bothering to look at them while he did. "I can aura jump pretty high!"

Not far behind Aaron was Sophia, who was running over to the duo and launching a couple aura sphere at random groups of Bellator soldiers. For the soldiers that got too close, Sophia would sweep her hand at them and launch a small cloud of sleeping powder at them. The soldiers accidentally inhaled the powder and were quickly rendered unconscious. Afterwards, she approached Aaron and Melissa, still holding her katana with both hands while glaring at the enemy force.

"Sophia, Aaron! You made it!" Caroline said with a smile as she saw the new arrivals. "It's good to see you're still in one piece!"

"Likewise!" Aaron responded. "What's the situation?!"

"We're pushing them back for the moment!" The ginger answered. "If we can keep this up, the middle will be ours!"

The commander gave her a firm nod before approaching Sophia's side, moving to assist her for the battle. They followed the rest of their army as they kept pushing the Bellator forces back, gaining more ground in the middle. It wasn't long until the entirety of the Bellator soldiers began to fall back, retreating back into the north of the city.

"They're retreating!" Aaron yelled towards the Aurora soldiers, earning cheers of triumph from them. The Aurora warriors launched aura spheres at the retreating force and hurled insults, enjoying the victory they earned.

"They must be regrouping," Leo said, watching the last of the Bellator forces run into the northern section of the city.

Caroline gave the captain a small nod. "They'll prepare for another attack." She glanced at the soldiers behind her and started barking orders. "We need to bunker down! We have control of the center, let's keep it that way!"

The soldiers gave the ginger quick salutes before they started running around, getting into positions to defend the center of the city. Following this, Beth and her ho-oh swept near the ground and hovered over Caroline.

"Madam Lancer! The Bellator forces are retreating further into the city!" She informed the ginger. "We should give chase while we have the chance!"

"What?" Caroline blinked, confused by the enemy's actions. "Why would they retreat _further_ into the city? They had plenty of ground in their possession."

"Ma'am! We've lost contact with a group of soldiers in the north of the city!" A soldier ran up to the ginger. "But before the transmission was lost, they gave us confirmed sighting of the four knights! They're in the city!"

"All four?!" Caroline gasped, receiving a nod from the soldier.

"Now's our chance Carol!" Aaron said as he approached the ginger. "We can end this battle and defeat the four knights all at once! We _have_ to push on!"

"Then... I guess we don't have a choice," Caroline sighed before giving more orders to her forces. "Aaron, take Beth and a couple squads with you and head north. Leo and Mac, take charlie company and head northwest. Sophia and Melissa, you're with me." She glanced at a group of soldiers that were nearby. "You too beta company, we're heading northeast. As for the rest of you, stay here and defend this zone! Be ready for anything!"

Everyone gave her their own forms of confirmation, then went about following the orders they were given. Aaron and Beth, who had returned her ho-oh back into its ultra-ball, took charge of a group of soldiers and proceeded into the northern section of the city. Leo and Mac did the same, taking their group towards the left, while Melissa and Sophia, along with their group of soldiers, followed Caroline as she led them to the right. The ginger returned her flygon back into its poke-ball once it flew over them as they marched.

Sophia and Melissa had a feeling of uneasiness flow through their bodies, constantly checking their surroundings for any sign of enemy activity. All they saw were burning buildings and ruined cars, with no sight of any Bellator soldiers.

"I don't like this," Melissa said softly. "They all just... disappeared."

"Which is why we need to stay on guard," Caroline said. "Sweep your fields of view, be ready for an ambush."

Once the group got further into the war-torn city, Caroline held up her xtransciever and called one of her captains. Before long, Mac's face appeared on the small screen, waiting for her to say the word.

"Mac, have you and Leo found anything yet?" she asked.

"Negative ma'am, just empty streets and burning cars." The captain answered.

"Hmph, maybe if you knew where we were going, we probably would've found something by now." Leo's voice called from the backround, earning a glare from Mac.

"Well then, why don't you lead the way, pipsqueak?" The bald man insulted. "I'm sure we'd get nowhere with you."

"I'm not a pipsqueak!" Leo yelled.

"You're acting like one!" Mac retorted.

"Enough! Both of you!" Caroline yelled at the xtransceiver before letting out a sigh. "Look, just... tell me when you find something, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," the two captains said in unison before the ginger cut off the transmission. She pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out another sigh as she did.

Melissa let out a small chuckle, enjoying the banter between the two captains. Meanwhile, Sophia stared off into a burning as worry struck her mind.

 _"I hope Aaron's safe.'_ She thought as she continued to follow the group.

* * *

Aaron continued to lead Beth and the group of soldiers, still not finding any sign of the enemy army. The entire group was on edge, constantly looking around for an ambush to appear. They knew Team Bellator was somewhere in the north, and it was only a matter of time until they found said team.

Not far from the group, the blue knight of Team Bellator watched them from a top of a building. Her gaze was focused on Aaron, who walked in front of the group. She quickly raised up her xtransciever and tapped on it, quickly calling four people at once. The other knight's and the Bellator queen's faces appeared on the watch phone, each one getting a small portion of the screen.

"Your majesty, I have eyes on Aaron, he's leading a group of soldiers near my position," she said to the four.

"Excellent." The queen smiled. "Jam their transmissions, we'll be there shortly."

The armored woman gave the queen a nod before shutting off the xtransceiver and activated the jamming device she had installed on it. She glanced at the group below and jumped across the buildings, making sure to keep her distance to avoid detection.

Meanwhile, Aaron's group continued to march through the streets, eventually walking into a fog. However, after a couple of minutes, the commander stopped in his tracks. The group did the same, looking around for an ambush. The soldiers however couldn't make much out of the fog, which clouded their vision to a small degree.

"What is it?" Beth said to the commander, approaching him. "Someone nearby?"

Aaron stared straight ahead into the fog, frowning and glaring deeply. "More like several people," he said before glancing at the company he led. "Prepare yourselves." He called back, making the soldiers hold up their weapons and get into their own battle stances. Beth engulfed her right fist in orange aura while she held an ultra-ball in her other hand.

The group stared straight ahead into the fog, waiting for the enemy to make an appearance. Multiple steps rang out through the distance, getting closer with each passing second. Suddenly, several silhouettes appeared within the fog, five in total. Four of the black figures emerged, revealing their appearances as the four Bellator knights. The fifth figure's appearance was still unknown, but the sight of the enemy commanders set Aaron and his group on edge.

"Call Lancer, _now_." Aaron ordered the group.

"Already trying sir! But my xtransceiver can't get a signal!" a soldier said, trying to work his watch-phone.

"Mine too!" A female soldier pitched in. "They must be jamming us!"

The commander went back to glaring at the group ahead of them, feeling slightly worried that they wouldn't get any reinforcements. He placed his hand on the handle of his saber, preparing to unsheathe for the up coming battle.

"Well well well," Aaron said, loud enough for the four knights to hear. "Looks like all of the knights have decided to show themselves." His gazed focused on the silhouette in the middle, which finally revealed itself. The Bellator queen walked slowly behind the knights, but Aaron didn't recognize her. "And you are...?" he asked.

"Oh, nobody important," the queen said, bringing up her hand and placing it in front of her mouth, giggling into her knuckles. All of the Aurora soldiers felt their fear suddenly spike at the sight of her, feeling said fear was crawling on their backs.

The purple hair woman ceased her laughter and held her hand towards the group. Suddenly, her violet eyes glowed brightly, and her hand glowed in bright blue energy. At the same time, all of the Aurora soldiers behind Aaron and Beth glowed in the same, earning gasps and yelps from them as they where raised a couple feet into the air.

"What the-?!" Aaron gasped as he and Beth looked at their soldiers, shocked by seeing them levitate.

The woman twisted her hand, which in turn made the soldier's heads twist horribly, snapping their necks simultaneously. Their bodies stopped glowing afterward, and they fell onto the street, their lifeless figures never moving.

Both Aaron and Beth were completely shocked as they stared at the bodies of their dead soldiers. The duo never thought they would see so many of their own die so swiftly and brutally. Beth sent the group ahead of them a violent glare as she quickly unleashed her ho-oh and hoped onto it, charging straight towards the knights.

"You **bastards!** " She bellowed, angered by the loss of her soldiers.

"B-Beth! Wait!" Aaron called out to the captain, who didn't listen to his warning.

The woman in the middle held up her hand again, which glowed in the energy once more. The ho-oh and Beth were covered in the energy, just like the soldiers from before. Neither of them could move their bodies, due to trapped within the tight energy around them.

"Wh-what is this?!" Beth screamed, feeling her body weakened by the energy. "This can't be aura!"

Suddenly, the green knight appeared within the air above the legendary pokemon, holding his war hammer above his head. Before Beth had time to gasp in surprise, the knight slammed the hammer onto the ho-oh, making it cry out in pain and stop glowing, forcing it to crash down onto the street below.

" **HO-OH!** " Beth cried out as she witnessed her pokemon get attacked.

The dust that appeared around the crash of the legendary pokemon quickly evaporated, revealing the unconscious ho-oh. The green knight touched down near the incapacitated pokemon and looked at the pokemon, sighing in disappointment as he did.

"I thought legendary pokemon were suppose to be tough," he said. "Guess not."

"N-no..." Beth cried. Tears streamed down the captains face as she stared at her pokemon, never seeing it get defeated with one attack before. She felt distraught that her vengeance for the fallen soldiers were cut off so quickly. But before the captain could continue her cries, the woman from before swept down her energy covered hand, sending the captain crashing down onto the ground. The energy around Beth dispersed as she slowly rose up on her feet. Her body felt incredibly weakened, and that feeling occurred when she was still airborne. When she glanced up, the orange knight appeared in front of her, holding an white aura covered fist behind her.

"Goodnight!" the knight whispered before slamming the fist onto Beth's stomach, knocking her out and throwing the already injured captain back several yards. Her body crashed and rolled on the street until she made it towards Aaron, who quickly scrambled to check for any signs of life on the captain. Once he found a pulse, he sighed in relief and took a hold of the ultra-ball she had. He pointed the black and yellow sphere at the unconscious ho-oh and zapped it, returning the pokemon and placing the ultra-ball with Beth's hands. Afterwards, he rose up and stepped over the unconscious captain, pulling out his saber and glowing in his blue aura.

"All of you... are going to pay _**dearly**_ for this." Aaron growled in a dark voice before dashing toward the group, intent on avenging his fallen allies.

The queen looked at the enrage teen and sighed sadly. "Do _**not**_ kill him, just render him unconscious," she said to the knights. "I need him _**alive**_."

The knights gave their queen their own small nods, then charged at the angered commander, wielding their own sets of weapons. The red knight was the first to clash with Aaron, making their saber and bastard swords enter a heated sword-lock. Before it could continue for long, Aaron was forced to jump back to dodge a downwards slam from the green knight's large war hammer. The commander had no time to rest, for the blue knight jumped after him, slashing her twin daggers at the teen. Aaron narrowly blocked the double strike with his blade, and once they touched the ground, he quickly slammed his foot onto her armored stomach, kicking her back a couple feet and gaining some ground.

While the commander was busy with the three knights, the orange knight slipped passed the fighting and stood behind Aaron. Once he realized she was there, he quickly turned around to confront her. However, he was too late as the knight slammed an aura covered fist into his abdomen, forcing a heave to emerge from the commander's mouth and making him stagger backwards. Aaron didn't have time to recover, as the red knight slashed his bastard sword across his back. The teen yelled in pain as felt the sting from the strike, never seeing the orange knight from before running up to him slamming another aura covered fist into his armored chest. Aaron flew back wards, and was slammed upwards by another heavy strike from the green knight's hammer.

The commander was sent flying once more, this time being sent straight up into the air. The blue knight once again jumped after the teen, this time having a complete opening to strike on him. She infused her daggers with beige aura, and quickly struck Aaron down with a cross shaped slash, cutting through his armor and onto his chest. He screamed again as he crashed into the street, feeling horribly pained from the constant attacks.

Aaron slowly got back onto his feet after spending a couple of seconds coughing on the ground. He held the bleeding cross on his chest and groaned in pain before glancing up at the knights. The armored individuals slowly approached him, ready to send more attacks his way. The commander closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, trying to relax and concentrate. Once he exhaled, large amounts of his blue aura erupted around him and his eyes shot up, his brown orbs covered with the fire-like substance.

Within a second, Aaron vanished in thin air, earning surprised gasps from the knights. Before they could react in time, Aaron appeared behind the red knight, slashing a heavy downwards strike on his back, earning a cry pain from the armored man and forcing him onto his knees. The other knights quickly looked towards his direction, and the orange knight charged at the flaring commander, preparing to hit him with her armored fists. Aaron glanced her way and vanished again, this time reappearing in front of the knight and slamming his aura covered fist into her chest, sending her flying and crashing into a nearby building.

The green knight charged behind the commander and raised his war hammer to strike him down, but completely missed when Aaron vanished again. He reappeared in in the same spot, this time facing the knight. Aaron quickly slashed his saber across the armored man's body, lightly cutting through the armor and kicked him afterward, forcing him to fall on his back onto the street.

Quickly afterwards, Aaron sent glare at the blue knight before vanishing and reappearing in front of her, sending multiple slashes and punches her way. The armored woman tried to defend herself, but was unable to catch up with the commander's high speed, receiving the attacks at full force. Once he finished the flurry of attacks, he slammed his foot into her stomach and drew his saber back, covering it in more blue aura. The knight's back slammed onto the wall of a building, making the armored woman groan painfully. She looked at Aaron and her eyes widened once she saw he was building more aura into his saber. Once he vanished again, the knight threw her body onto the ground to try and dodge the attack. To her surprise, it worked as Aaron appeared in front of her and swung the blade extremely hard at the spot she was before. The powerful diagonal slash cut through the entire length of the wall and through the rest of the building itself. After three full seconds, the structure groaned and shook, indicating it wouldn't stay standing for long.

Seeing that the building was about to collapse, Aaron dashed towards Beth's unconscious body and picked her up, vanishing into the air afterward. Once he did, the building gave in and began to crumble down. The knights scrambled to get as far away from the building as they could, seeing the structure fall and crash into the ground. Large amounts of dust erupted around the debris and spread around, making it difficult for the knights to see anything. As they looked around, Aaron appeared from place to place to throw aura spheres or kick the knights away before vanishing again, sending them out off the cloud of dust and into the open street. Once they were all out, Aaron gently placed Beth's body back onto the street, then he made a quick glance at the woman who killed his men, whom was standing a couple yards away, watching him. He glared at her before he vanished again, intent on getting his revenge.

The queen smiled at the action, then made her purple eyes glow. A second afterward, Aaron reappeared in front of her, this time completely covered and trapped in the light blue energy. His saber was pointing straight towards the woman's chest, aiming for her heart. He gasped as he felt his strength start to fade and began to struggle, trying to escape the prison wrapped around him. He let out a battle cry as he struggling increased, making the energy around him start to crack. The woman gasped, realizing the energy prison wasn't going to hold him for much longer.

But before the commander could successfully break free, the orange knight ran up towards him and slammed her aura covered and armored foot into Aaron's side, making him yell in pain. Th energy dispersed, and he was quickly sent flying into a nearby alleyway. The orange knight followed after him, with the rest of the knights doing the same. The injured commander hit the ground, and was quickly struck once more by the orange knight, getting hit by multiple punches and eventually being handed over to the red knight. The armored man struck Aaron multiple times with his bastard sword, not going deep enough to kill him, but enough to cause the right amount of damage. Once he finished his attacks, the red armored man jumped out of the way to allow the green knight to make his own attack. Said knight smashed his hammer upwards into Aaron's stomach, sending the commander up in the air. Waiting for him was the blue knight, who jumped to intercept him. Once Aaron got close enough, the knight slashed her daggers in a cross strike, marking another cross on the commander's abdomen. He fell down, and received a heavy punch from the red knight, who jumped to intercept like the blue knight. Aaron flew towards the woman who used the strange energy, along with the orange knight that was waiting by her side. When the commander got close, the armored woman slammed her fist into his side, sending him near the fallen building he struck down before.

Aaron stayed on the ground, writhing in the pain that enveloped his body. The injured commander knew he couldn't take any more punishment, but he ignored these thoughts as he tried to get back on his feet. Every movement made his body scream at him not to move, but he carried on, ignoring these thoughts as well.

 _"I... I can't give up...'_ He thought, getting on all fours. _"I... refuse... I won't... I_ can't _... back... down...'_

The Bellator queen looked at the struggling teen with a saddened look, hating to see him in such a state. She didn't want to bring pain onto the commander, but at the same time, she knew there was no other choice but to do just that. Her knights came to her sides, all of which were breathing heavily, tired from the fight and the wounds they received from the commander. They held their weapons tightly, knowing they couldn't fight another round with him.

Slowly and painfully, Aaron pushed himself up on his knees. The second in command's body was covered in blood, and the armor he wore was mostly destroyed. His helmet laid beside him, which was knocked off when he crashed onto the ground. The helmet itself was battered greatly, just as damaged as the commander's armor. Aaron reached out and grabbed his saber, then pushed himself to get on his feet. His legs shook violently as he stood there, lightly glowing in his aura. The blue fire-like substance was dimmed by a large amount when compared to how it usually glows.

 _"I... can't... lose... N-not... not now..."_ He continued to think. _"Not while... not when..._ **s-s-she** _... needs... me...'_ His fading thoughts were on Sophia now, remembering how she confessed to him earlier. He refused to let the enemy beat him, not when she needs him. He took a step forward, making a pained shock course through his body. He took another step, seeing that his vision was getting more blurry. _"I... need... to... win... I..._ _ **need**_ _... to win... f-for... h-her...'_

Then, the commander's body gave into the pain, toppling forward when he tried to take another step. His body crashed onto the ground, making him exhale sharply from the agony he felt. His dimmed aura faded away, showing that he was past his limit. Soon afterward, he glowed lightly in blue energy and was brought up from the ground, then slowly began to float toward the enemy group. When he reached them, the energy made him stand on his knees and forced him to look up at the armored dress woman, whose eyes were glowing brightly.

"There there now," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's going to be okay. I'll help you, I'll heal you. I _will_ protect you."

His vision was still blurry, but he could make out most of her facial features. He could see the messy bob cut of violet hair, along with her strange purple eyes. If he wasn't in such a dire situation and was extremely injured, he would've admitted that she's very beautiful.

"Y... **y-you**..." Aaron gasped out, his voice raspy. "W... w-who... a-are... y... y-y-you...?"

"Like I said earlier, I'm no one important." The woman's smile increased as she continued. "Just the future queen of this world, **Viola Bellator**." She leaned down and brought her face close to his, making their noses lightly touch each other. "And soon to be... your future bride... **_my love_**."

Confusion, shock, and fear struck Aaron's heart when she uttered those words. Before the commander could respond, the queen known as Viola pressed her lips against his, bringing them into a light kiss. Even more fear consumed Aaron as he slowly slipped away from consciousness, finally giving in to his body's demands.


	19. Chapter 19

"Geez, how far did Team Bellator fall back?" Melissa questioned as she and the rest of the group followed Caroline through the damaged and burning city. "They're losing a lot of ground like this."

"No idea." Caroline answered. "Which is why I want everyone to stay alert, they could ambush us at any given moment."

"You don't think the others have been attacked, do you?" Sophia said to the ginger, worried about her friend's safety.

"I hope not," Caroline said. "But I'll contact them just to make sure." She brought up her xtransceiver and tried to call her second in command Aaron, but to the ginger's confusion, the call couldn't get through, marking a cancel sign on the small screen. "Eh? Why isn't it-?"

At that moment, a high pitch scream buzzed through Caroline's head, forcing her to stop all movement and making her green orbs widen in shock. She recognized that the voice belonged to Beth, and felt a ping of worry and fear hit her heart at the realization. A couple seconds later, Carol felt a pained sensation travel through her before disappearing. Despite the pain not being excruciating to Caroline, the ginger knew that her captain was in deep agony.

"H-hey, Carol...?" Melissa whispered as she approached the ginger, confused by her sudden halt and pained expression. "What's wrong...?"

"Th... They're..." The ginger shook where she stood, holding her head in the process. "They're in danger...!"

"W-what...?!" Melissa gasped lightly. "Who? Who's in danger?!"

More pain ran through the ginger's abdomen, feeling her captain's aura ping horribly. She looked towards the direction her aura sensed the pain coming from, and without hesitating, she dashed towards the left. The group, while confused by her actions, followed Caroline as she ran. As she sprinted, she felt more pain course around her, but the new pain Caroline felt came from another. Once she heard a pained gasp, she instantly knew it belonged to her second in command. Carol ran even faster, desperate to get to their destination as quickly as possible.

Throughout the running, Caroline felt more and more pain emanate from Aaron's aura. The agony he went through was somehow worse than Beth's, and he was receiving it at a constant rate. When the group reached another street, they had a view of building that suddenly collapsed. The wreckage was still far off, but the group still had a great sight of it, seeing the smoke rise from the debris.

"Whoa..." Melissa whispered. "That thing looked perfectly fine a second ago..."

Another one of Aaron's screams buzzed in Carol's head, this time far more louder and painful. She tried to run faster towards the fallen building, wishing to save her comrades from anymore danger. It took a minute, but the group finally arrived at their destination. Smoke was still in the air, surrounding the debris from the fallen building. The group's line of sight as dimmed greatly because of this as they climbed over the wreckage.

"What happened...?" Sophia whispered as she looked at the destruction before her.

Caroline searched frantically through the horrible mess, trying to find her friends. "Where... where are-?" She froze up once more when she made out a body that was outside of the dust. She ran toward it to find out who it was.

"B-Beth?!" Melissa gasped once they saw her, quickly approaching her body. "Is she alright?!"

Caroline checked the raven hair captain's pulse, and quickly felt relief run through her once she found it. "She's far from alright, but she's alive, if that's what you're asking," she said.

"Wait," Sophia whispered. "If Beth's here, then where's-?"

She ceased her speaking once she saw the disturbing scene in front of her. Bodies of Aurora's Light soldiers littered the street, all of which were immobile. Their heads were horribly twisted and some of them had blood pouring from their mouths. Sophia had her answer, they were dead.

Further ahead of the massacre, the ex-roserade could make out several people walking away. Four of them wore heavy armor from head to toe, and were colored differently from one another. The fifth person wore a battle dress that had pieces of armor around it; Sophia could only make out the purple hair that covered their head. The last person however, sent shivers down the ex-roserade's spine.

The sixth person was being carried by the largest of the armored personnel, resting on the man's shoulder. The unconscious man wore dark blue clothing that had pieces of broken armor strung around it, signifying that it was destroyed recently. The man had black curly hair, hair that Sophia instantly recognized.

"N... no," the ex-roserade whispered, watching the one she loved being carried away by the enemy. "A... **AARON!** "

Melissa and Caroline jumped at Sophia's scream of terror, and snapped their sights on what she was looking at. Both felt their hearts fill with dread once they were exposed to the massacre of Aurora soldiers, and felt even more fear as they saw Aaron's body get carried away.

"Oh no..." Melissa whispered as she rose up and started running towards the group ahead. "Nonononono! Aaron!"

Caroline quickly got up well, and glanced at the soldiers accompanying her. "Take Beth and any survivors with you! Go find Captains MacArthur and Kythira! Bring them here!" She ordered before following Melissa, receiving salutes from the soldiers. Sophia quickly joined after her frightened pause, wanting to help the two.

The knights and their queen stopped and turned around when they heard Sophia's scream. When they saw the three women charge towards them, the knights groaned in annoyance before they got ready for another battle. The green knight placed Aaron's body on the street before wielding his war hammer once more. The four armored personnel knew they were too injured to fight, but they would do what they must to protect their queen. Said queen stood in place as she watched Melissa charge at them, wielding her double blade.

"You're not taking another brother from me! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" The brunette bellowed as she covered herself in red aura, preparing to strike at her enemies.

The Bellator queen wasn't fazed by Melissa's threat, and chuckled lightly shortly afterwards. Raising one of her hands, the queen's purple eyes glowed brightly as she covered her hand in light blue energy. Soon after, Melissa was forcibly stopped in her tracks as the energy covered her as well, imprisoning her effectively. The brunette struggled in the trap, feeling her strength slow fade the longer she was in it.

"Eh?! W-what is this?!" Melissa gasped. "I-I can't move!"

The red knight charged at the trapped brunette with his bastard sword in hand. Melissa's eyes widened in fear as she tried to escape the restricting energy. The light substance wouldn't budge however, and Melissa soon saw that the knight jumped and rose his sword over his head, preparing to strike her down. But before he could do so, a green aura sphere crashed into him and sent him back towards the other knights. He quickly got up and glared as Caroline and Sophia caught up with Melissa.

Caroline glanced at Melissa, seeing the energy that trapped the brunette. She looked back at the group ahead and saw the queen lower her hand and made her eyes stop glowing. At the same time, the energy surrounding Melissa dispersed, freeing the brunette from the prison.

"Ugh... what was that...?" Melissa moaned, slumping her shoulders tiredly. "I feel so... weak..."

"No way..." Caroline whispered as she started to piece the dots together. She gulped at the realization of what they're facing. "She's a psychic..."

"... A psychic...?" Sophia said. "But isn't that a pokemon typing?"

Caroline shook her head in denial. "Pokemon aren't the only ones with that kind of power. Although rare, there are some people in this world that have highly developed brains when they're born, which allow them to use telekinetic powers. These powers can make a person extremely dangerous when they know how to control it." The ginger explained.

"Uh... how powerful are we talking here?" Melissa asked, feeling her worry rise.

"Powerful enough to take on several aura users at once, regardless of their skill level," Caroline said, intensifying her glare on the enemy. "And since she's with those knights, I can only assume her strength is immense."

"Oh, that's just perfect," Melissa said sarcastically before glancing at Aaron's unconscious body, which was still laying on the street. "How are we going to get close to them?"

"I... don't know..." Carol admitted slowly.

Sophia stepped in front of the two women, wearing a deep scowl on her face. "What have you done to him?" She demanded to know, angered that Aaron's been horribly injured.

The Bellator queen gave her blank look, not effected by the venom laced in the ex-roserade's voice. However, once she glanced at Caroline, her eyebrows furrowed and her teeth bared into a sharp frown. The very presence of the ginger angered the queen.

"Nothing worse than what this bitch has done to him." Viola seethed.

"Excuse me...?" Carol raised an eyebrow in confusion, not knowing what she meant.

"Don't give me that look!" The queen exclaimed, pointing a finger at the ginger accusingly. "You're the one who's been corrupting him for who knows how long! What you've done to him is far worse than what I could ever do!"

"Are you stupid?!" Melissa yelled. "Just look at him! He's _covered_ in his own blood! Aaron's beaten half to death because of you and your cronies!"

"How dare you?!" Viola yelled back, feeling her anger rise even higher. "Do you really think I like having my knights hurt him to the point were he can't even stand?!"

"Yes, in fact, I do!" Melissa retorted, igniting the blades of her double sword in her red aura. "And I promise you, psychic or not, that I will get my revenge on you for hurting him!"

The Bellator queen was going to shout more at the brunette, but stopped herself from speaking another word. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath through her nose, then sighed, calming herself down. Once she finished, Viola chuckled as she glanced at Melissa again.

"You really think that you stand a chance against me?" The Bellator queen smiled devilishly. "You wouldn't last a minute in a fight with me even _if_ I didn't have any telekinetic powers!"

Just then, the queen's eyes widened at the idea, which made her grin transform into a toothy smile. She grabbed the handle of her scimitar and removed the sword from its sheath, pointing the blade at the three women.

"In fact, to show you fools what little of a chance you have against me, I _won't_ be using my psychic powers! Nor will I have my knights intervene!" She continued, igniting herself in dark blue aura. "And once I'm done with you scum, I'll take Aaron and purify him of this filth!"

"That's not going to happen!" Sophia yelled, unsheathing her katana. "I won't let you take him!"

The queen gave the trio another small laugh, amused by the ex-roserade's words. "Then come... and face **DAMNATION**." She laced the word in hate and gave the three a terrifying look.

Within a second, Viola vanished in thin air. Sophia and Melissa gasped at the action while Caroline's eyes widened, realizing the queen's incoming attack. The ginger quickly crossed her twin sabers together and raised them above her head, blocking a downwards strike from Viola's scimitar when she reappeared in the air. The queen vanished again, forcing the three to check the area around them. Suddenly, a dark blue aura sphere crashed into Melissa's stomach, making the brunette gasp in pain and fly back several feet. Before she could touch the ground, Viola reappeared and kicked Melissa back, sending her flying back towards Sophia and Caroline. The ex-roserade ducked underneath the airborne brunette then shot a energy ball at the queen. Once it got close, Viola covered one of her hands in her aura then smacked the green sphere away, swatting it towards a nearby building.

Seeing how her first attack failed, Sophia decided to charge at the Bellator queen, along with Caroline following her. Sophia slashed her blade at Viola, who quickly parried the strike before ramming her aura covered foot into the ex-roserade's abdomen, sending her back to her allies. Caroline jumped over the ex-roserade while shooting a green aura sphere at the queen. Viola shot her own aura sphere at the incoming attack, making the two spheres of light collide and explode. Carol ran throw the smoke and began a series of strikes at the queen, swinging her twin blades at Viola with precision. The Bellator queen however dodged or blocked the strikes with ease, as if she wasn't putting much effort into it. When the opportunity arose, Viola parried one of the sabers and began her own attacks, forcing the ginger back into the defensive. The queen brought her down onto Caroline, who intercepted the attack with another cross block from her blades. Viola smiled at the action however, and quickly jabbed several hard punches into the ginger's stomach. Caroline gasped and heaved at the blows and took several steps back, getting away from the flurry of punches. But the ginger had no time to rest, for the Bellator queen shot at aura sphere at her, knocking Caroline back towards Sophia and Melissa.

Melissa was quick to help the ginger back up on her feet while Sophia stood in front of the duo, holding her katana in a defensive position. The three panted quietly, hurt from the light injuries the queen gave them. Seeing this, the Bellator queen began to laugh at the trio mockingly, furthering her taunting on them.

"Come on now! You're all breathing like you ran a marathon!" Viola mocked. "Don't tell me my light attacks caused that much damage to you!"

Rather than answer the queen vocally, the three women glowed in their auras deeply before charging at Viola all together. Melissa was the first to reach her, who began to swing her double bladed sword at the queen. While Viola blocked the attacks efficiently, she she quickly had to jump back to avoid an incoming strike from Caroline, who soon joined the brunette in her attack. Both women converged on the queen, attacking her with a flurry of their blades. Viola growled while she was sent heavily on the defensive, being forced to either dodge or block the many attacks thrown at her. During this, she didn't notice Sophia sneak up behind Caroline and Melissa, and wasn't prepared to defend against a slash from the ex-roserade's katana once she had an opening. The armor Viola wore protected her body from harm, but she still gasped at the cut, backing away from the trio and holding the area that was attacked. Taking the advantage, Caroline and Melissa drew their hands back then slammed aura covered fists into the queen's gut, throwing her back by two yards. Viola crashed onto the street, coughing from the heavy strike.

"Who's taking damage now, bitch?!" Melissa mocked her opponent, smiling viciously. "You talk shit, you get hit!"

Viola remained silent as she rose back up on her feet, not bothering to refute the insulting brunette. Instead, she gave the trio another small laugh as she raised her hand, pointing it upwards. A large blue aura sphere formed in her palm, and once it got large enough, it shot up into the sky. Viola formed four more large aura spheres and did the same with them, shooting them in the air. The large spheres stopped once they reached the height of the buildings nearby, hovering in place.

"What's... going on...?" Sophia whispered, looking up at the sphere with a nervous look plastered on her face.

"I didn't know aura spheres could stop mid flight..." Melissa whispered, staring at the sky.

"What's she-?" Caroline whispered, looking above. Once she realized what the purpose of the large aura spheres, her eyes widened in shock and fear. "Run..."

"Wha-?" Melissa whispered, not hearing the ginger's voice.

"RUN!" Caroline barked loudly, knowing they were in a terrible situation.

"Have fun with the barrage, savages." Viola smiled at the trio as she snapped her fingers, blue aura covering the tips. Suddenly, the five hovering sphere began to glow brightly, and started shooting multiple aura spheres at the group in a rapid succession. The trio gasped as they tried to dodge the incoming bullet hell, but the balls of light moved too fast, and began to pelt the three constantly. The barrage lasted for ten seconds before the large sphere in the air shrank and dispersed. The trio coughed and panted in pain, barely standing on their feet from the bullet hell. Most of their armor was dented horribly, and their helmets were knocked off from the barrage, greatly damaged. Caroline and Melissa stood side by side while Sophia stood not far behind them.

"Hmph, you're still standing?" Viola said with a small grin, slightly impressed with their durability. "I guess you fools want a another taste of one my powerful attacks then, don't you?" She raised her scimitar over her shoulder, still giving the trio a vicious smile. "Very well then, I'd be happy to provide!"

The blade of the queen's sword began to glow brightly in her blue aura, but unlike the previous moments, the blade itself became solid black, and slowly absorbed more and more aura, glowing brighter within seconds. Caroline, Melissa, and Sophia quickly raised their weapons, standing in defensive positions. This however, made the Bellator queen laugh mockingly again.

"Good luck trying to block this attack!" Viola smiled.

When the blade stopped absorbing aura, the appearance of it changed. The black blade now how a blue outline surrounding it that would dim and brighten repeatedly. Then, in blinding speed, Viola vanished in thin air and reappeared behind Melissa and Caroline. Her sword was brought down, as if she had already completed a strike. Suddenly and violently, Caroline and Melissa arched up in pain as a large gash appeared on their bodies. Blood gushed from the wounds and their armor cracked up as they slowly collapsed, writhing in pain on the street. Sophia's red orbs widened in shock and fear as she watched her comrades fall, and she froze in place when she witnessed the energy in Viola's blade travel through her and into her fist. Rearing the black fist back, the Bellator queen struck it into the ex-roserade's armored chest. Several sickening cracks echoed through the air as Sophia felt some of her ribs break from the attack. She crashed onto the ground, gasping and screaming in pain as the agony enveloped her. She clutched her chest, trying to do anything to dull the pain she felt.

Viola gave the writhing Sophia a blank, not effected by the pained screams she wailed. The queen turned toward the previously slashed duo and made her eyes glow. She raised a hand that was covered in psychic energy, which in turn covered Carol's and Melissa's bodies in the same substance, bringing the pained forms in the air. They coughed and shook violently as they forcibly levitated towards Viola, being forced to look at the Bellator queen.

"Words cannot describe how badly I want to end the miserable thing you call a life." Viola seethed at Caroline, enjoying the view of her injured body. "To pierce your heart with this blade and hear your screams of anguish." She shook her head, denying the thoughts. "But not yet. No, instead, I want to decimate everything you've built up in your pitiful attempt to stop me. I will force you to watch as everything you've created burn into nothing. And once you're consumed in the despair of your loss and failure, only then will I allow you to die."

Just then, Sophia coughed violently as a stream of blood poured from her mouth. The noise earned Viola's attention, who looked back at the ex-roserade before grinning evilly once more.

"Let me show you an... _example_ , **Caroline** _._ " Viola grinned at the ginger before she advanced towards the fallen ex-roserade, holding her scimitar with dangerous intent.

"N... n-no...!" Caroline gasped out. "P-ple-ase... d-d-don't...!"

"So... phi... a...!" Melissa tried to yell, terrified by what the queen intended to do.

Viola stopped in front of Sophia, who was still laying on her back, writhing in agony. "You would have been a valuable asset to have in my arsenal," she said as she raised her scimitar threateningly, making Sophia's eyes widen. "Unfortunately for you, I have no need for your powers anymore, now that I have what I need." The blade of the sword was quickly covered in blue aura. "Goodbye, _little roserade_..."

"No...! NO...!" Caroline gasped.

"SOPHIA...!" Melissa tried once again to yell.

Their screams however, did nothing to stop Viola, who brought her blade down at the ex-roserade.

 _Clash!_

Sparks flew around as the familiar sound of metal clashing against metal rang through the air. Viola's scimitar was blocked by a saber that stood in the way, keeping it away from Sophia. A bloody and injured figure stood in front of the fallen ex-roserade, making the queen's purple eyes widen at who it was.

"What the-?! Aaron?!" Viola questioned, confused by his sudden presence.

The injured second in command blocked the way, shaking from the wounds that still covered his body. The blue aura that covered him and his blade was very dim, showing how weak he truly was at that moment. The knights, who were watching the battle, were completely surprised when they saw him appear in front of the queen. They were quick to charge at the teen, wielding their weapons, but came to a halt when Viola raised her hand at them. They gave her skeptical looks, but followed the silent order and watched the ordeal go down.

"Wh... why are you standing my love...?" Viola whispered, withdrawing her scimitar and dispersing the aura around her. "You should be laying down! You're still covered in injuries!"

Aaron's breathing was heavy, due to him using the small amounts of strength he had left to save Sophia. He kept his head down, which effectively shadowed out his eyes as he stared at the street below, watching his blood drip onto it. He released his saber, which he barely had a grip on, and let it fall to the floor, listening to the clank that echoed afterward.

"P... please," the teen whispered coarsely, his voice incredibly strained.

"W-what?" Viola said quietly.

Aaron cough a bit before continuing his course whispers. "Please... p-please... don't... h-hurt... her... Leave... h-her... alone... please..." The teens collapsed onto his hands and knees, pressing his head against the street as he begged at the queen. Tears streamed from his eyes as he continued. "Don't kill her...! Don't hurt them anymore...! I'll... I'll go quietly with you if you leave them alone...! Just... please don't hurt them anymore...! I'm begging you...!"

Sophia, Melissa, and Caroline felt their hearts churn as Aaron begged to the queen. They wanted to stop him from leaving, but none of them could voice their outputs, due to their fatigue catching up to them.

Viola could only blink and stare at the teen in front of her, feeling the grip on her blade lightly loosen up at his words. Her heart ached as she looked at the injuries around his body, wanting nothing more than to heal them. But despite those injuries, Aaron still forced himself to get up and save his friends, which made Viola's insides swell. Her psychic grip on Melissa and Caroline disappeared, allowing their bodies to hit the floor once more. The psychic energy now covered Aaron's body as he was slowly brought up to face Viola, who smiled at the teen.

"Anything for you, my love," she said lovingly as she brought up a finger that was covered in a pink energy. She pressed it against his head, and within a flash, a pink wave of energy ran through Aaron's body. The commander arched up before his let out a final sigh, falling unconscious once more. The green knight took the commander's body and walked away, following the other knights as they left. Viola looked back at the defeated party and gave them a sharp frown.

"Looks like you get to live a little longer, _Sophia_ ," she said coldly as she began to walk away, following the knights. "But don't expect it to last."

Sophia, who was still writhing in the agony that covered her, look towards her defeated comrades. Both women laid on the ground motionless, unconscious from the pain they went through. The ex-roserade rolled onto her stomach to cough up a bit a blood, then proceeded to crawl over to the group that was walking away, desperate to catch up to them. Her vain attempt failed once her arms gave out after a few seconds, feeling her senses beginning to fade.

"Aaron... please... don't... go..." Sophia whispered as her vision blacked out, letting darkness consume her.


	20. Chapter 20

_Author's Note_

 _Hello everyone, just wanted to warn you guys that there's some non-consensual sexual activity between Aaron and Viola near the end of the chapter. They're not actually having sex, but it's still some pretty graphic content. If you do not wish to read it, there's an obnoxious warning placed before it so you can skip it. Thank you and enjoy!_

* * *

A heavy darkness consumed Sophia's vision, making her surroundings incredibly blurry. Her chest ached horribly, and parts of her ribs felt like broken glass. As time passed, it got more difficult for Sophia to breath. Every time she attempted to move, she would wheeze in pain and cough up blood, her body screaming at any given movement. The ex-roserade's arms and legs felt as if they were going to explode from the agony that enveloped them.

Slowly, Sophia raised her head to look at the rainy sky above, but instantly placed her head back onto the street, feeling that even her neck was weak. She couldn't glance back at her fallen friends, so she had no idea if they were alive or dead. She wanted to call to them, but her voice was too strained from the amount of coughing she did.

 _"Is... is this the end...?'_ She thought, terrified of dying in such a state. _"I... I don't want to die like this... But... I... can't move... I've already lost a lot of blood... My vision is so blurry...'_

The ex-roserade's eyelids felt heavy, forcing her to shut her red orbs. Darkness once again wrapped around her as she felt her life slipping away.

 _"I... don't... want... to... di-'_

"-ver here! We've found them!"

The voice that called out interrupted Sophia's thoughts. She couldn't tell if it was friend or foe. For all she knew, that woman from before might've sent soldiers to finish them off.

"Really pipsqueak?! Where are-? ... Whoa..." Another voice rang out.

 _"Pipsqueak...?'_ If Sophia could, she would smile, for she now knew that they were allies.

"Under normal circumstances, I would yell at you," the first voice said. "But now is not the time! C'mon!"

The ex-roserade heard footsteps run over toward and stop right in front of her. She felt a hand touch her back, then a sudden pulse of energy rushed through her body. The pulse removed most of the pain she felt almost instantly, and the ribs that broke slowly pieced themselves back together. Despite the pain she felt during the healing, it quickly vanished once it finished.

Sophia groaned as she opened her red eyes once more, seeing that her vision was no longer blurry. The ex-roserade could finally turn her head so she could see who healed her. She found herself looking at Leo's small smile.

"Hey there," he said. Sophia gave him a small grin as she tried to lift herself up off the ground. "Who whoa! Careful there rookie!" Leo yelled cautiously as he placed her arm over his shoulder to help her up slowly. "That's it, nice and easy."

"Ghh... Leo...?" Sophia whispered. "Wh... what did you do to me...?"

"Healed ya; you're still a little injured, but you should be able to heal on your own." The captain answered, replacing his smile with a frown afterward. "More importantly, what happened to you guys?"

"We got our asses kicked, _hard_." Melissa answered before Sophia could. The brunette and Caroline were leaning against Mac, both were still injured, but alive. Not far behind them, Beth could be seen leaning against a building, clutching an ultra-ball close to her chest. Near the captain was a large company of Aurora soldiers standing by. "How did you guys find us?" Melissa continued.

"I sent our soldiers out to find them and bring them here." Caroline explained.

"We got here as soon as we could, but I guess we missed the party," Mac said.

"Speaking of missing the party..." Leo whispered. "Where's the commander? I thought he would be the first to get here."

A heavy silence fell over the three injured women. Sophia felt tears emerge in the corners of her eyes, remembering the wounds that covered Aaron's body. But despite, those wounds, he still came in and saved her at the last second.

"He..." Caroline began, clearing her throat. "He was captured... by the four knights... and their leader."

"Their _leader_?!" Mac questioned; he along with the rest of the group were shocked by the news. "You're certain?!"

The ginger nodded slowly. "There's no mistake, those knights have the second highest authority in Team Bellator, and she was leading them." Caroline paused for few seconds. "That... and she was the one who defeated us and took Aaron."

"She defeated all of you, just by herself?" Leo asked, earning a nod for Caroline. That however, only made the captain more skeptical. "That's impossible! Even if she's the leader of Team Bellator, she would struggle against Lancer alone! Adding Sophia and Melissa into the equation, it just doesn't make any sense!"

"I'm afraid it _does_ make sense," Caroline said. "Due to their leader being a psychic."

"She's a _what_?!" Leo yelled in shock.

"Yeah, she's a psychic." Melissa confirmed with a small groan. "She used those powers against me when I tried to attack her. I couldn't move a muscle and felt incredibly weakened after she stopped."

"But, she didn't use her powers in the battle," Sophia said. "At least not until she defeated us. She only used her aura."

"So, let me get this straight," Mac said. "Their leader is a psychic, who I can only assume is very powerful at controlling it. Not only that, but she didn't use said powers whatsoever in your battle with her, and only used her aura?" Caroline and Melissa nodded at his question, furthering the large captain's confusion. "Why? Because I'm starting to agree with pipsqueak about this not making any sense."

"I... don't know." Carol admitted. "She said that she wanted to show us what little chance we had facing her, regardless if she was a psychic or not." The ginger held her head in confusion. "But during the battle, it didn't seem like she was trying at all, for the most part anyway. It was like she was toying with us."

"She almost killed Sophia too." Melissa added. "She would have done it too if Aaron didn't intervene in time."

"The commander saved you?" Leo asked the ex-roserade, earning a small nod from her. "So he did get here before us?"

"No... he..." Sophia attempted to speak, but the flashes of Aaron's battered body plagued her thoughts, making it difficult for her to answer.

"He was the first one to fight the knights and their leader." Melissa answered, noticing the pained look on her white hair friend. "For proof, look at that collapsed building behind us. That, and all four of the knights looked injured when we got here, so Aaron must've done a number on them. The leader was unscathed however."

"So... let me get this straight... again," Mac said once more. "The commander was the first one to fight the leader and the knights of Team Bellator, which would explain the casualties of his group. While he did put up a good fight, he eventually got overwhelmed and was defeated. While he was being captured, you three came into the fray and tried and save him, but got defeated by the leader single handily. Said leader was about to kill Sophia, but the commander saved her at the last second." He received nods from the three battered women. "How? I doubt that even the commander in such a state could stop someone as powerful as her."

Caroline glanced at the ground, recalling the events of the aftermath. "He just... begged." She answered. "He begged her not to kill Sophia and to cease harm on us. Despite having the upper hand and having no reason to, the leader just... agreed, and quickly at that."

"You look as if you want to say more," Leo said.

"Yeah," the ginger whispered. "She was... shocked... seeing Aaron move with the injuries that covered him. During our battle, she was usually stoic, or angered when she was talking to me. But when Aaron appeared in front of her... She acted completely different. Not only that, but she kept referring to him as 'My love'."

"'My love'...?" Leo questioned. "She's... Is she in _love_ with him...? That's... very creepy... especially now that she's captured him."

 _"Wait... she's in_ love _with Aaron?'_ Sophia thought in fear, shaking where she stood. _"Wh... what is she going to do with him...?!'_

"You said the leader was angered whenever she spoke to you?" Leo asked his leader. "But when fighting the others, she was calm?"

"Yes." Caroline nodded. "It's obvious that she hates me for making a resistance against her campaign. That, and for 'corrupting' Aaron."

"Corrupting him?" Melissa questioned.

"I think she was referring to me recruiting him against her." The ginger answered.

"Okay, moving on," Mac said to the group. "We now know why the leader of Team Bellator captured the commander. We don't know what she will do to him, but we can only assume it's nothing good. As of right now, our top priority is to secure the city and to rescue the commander afterwards."

"But how?" Leo asked. "We have a literal army to get through, not to mention those knights and their leader, who is not only a powerful psychic, but is also powerful with her aura as well. How do we even get close?"

"We have a army of our own, numb-skull," Mac told the shaggy hair captain. "As for those knights-"

" _We'll_ handle them." Beth suddenly pitched in, approaching the large captain. "Mac, Leo, and I can take on three of them, saving one more for the others," she said in a cold voice. "They murdered my team, brought terrible injury to my pokemon, and beat Aaron half to death. They _will_ pay for what they've done."

"I see... but that still leaves the leader, who's in a league of her own." Leo reminded. "How do we deal with that?"

Caroline remained silent, keeping her green orbs locked onto the ground as she thought deeply. Leo's right, the Bellator leader is in league of her own. She defeated Sophia, Melissa, and the ginger while holding back on her true power. They would likely perish if they attempted to face her once more.

"Wait... she a _psychic_ , right?" Sophia whispered to the group. "Aren't psychic attacks powerless against dark typing?" Caroline and the rest of the group were taken back by the sudden realization. "I remember back in my battles as a pokemon, Aaron would send out a zoroark that was disguised as myself when fighting psychic pokemon. Their moves had no effect on him!"

"Holy crap, she's right!" Melissa exclaimed brightly. "Dark type pokemon are immune to psychic attacks! So maybe if we can find and pit several dark type pokemon against her..."

"That will not be necessary." Caroline pitched in, earning a few confused looks from the group. "What Sophia said is true, dark typing is immune to psychic powers. However, we won't have to send pokemon to fight for us."

"What do you mean?" Beth asked.

"If we could wear something that's enchanted by darkness, we could make ourselves seem like we're dark types." The ginger answered.

"Enchanted?" Melissa questioned. "How are we gonna get something that's enchanted by darkness?"

"Sophia?" Caroline glanced at the ex-roserade. "Has Aaron ever collect any dark gems on his journey as a trainer?"

Sophia paused for a few seconds before answering the ginger. "I'm not sure, anything he collected on his journey would be stored in a chest he has back home."

"Then that's where we're going," Caroline said. "Let's hope that he has at least one gem in that chest. If he does, then that solves one problem."

"Yeah, that solves _one_ problem," Mac said. "We still have to deal with her skills with aura, and given how you three ended up, that's no small task."

Caroline silently agreed with the large captain, pondering on how they were going to defeat her. "I guess we'll have to deal with that when the time comes," she said as she stopped leaning against Mac, standing on her own. "For now, let's get those gems, assuming that Aaron has any."

The ginger began to walk slowly, limping slightly from the injuries she received. Several medical soldiers walked up to her, but stopped when she waved her hand at them, denying their help.

"I can walk," Caroline said reassuringly to the medics, still getting worried looks from them. "Let's go, the faster we move now, the faster we can rescue Aaron."

"But we don't even know where they've taken him!" Melissa yelled. "For all we know they could've left the city by now! He could be anywhere!"

"Don't forget, have the aura sense." Caroline glanced back at the worried brunette, tapping a fingering against her head. "I can sense where they've taken him."

"R-really?" Melissa blinked, almost forgetting the power the ginger had. "You can sense where he is?"

"How do you think I was able to track where Aaron was when he and his group were under attack?" Caroline asked. "Or how I knew they were being attacked in the first place?"

"Hmm... good point." Melissa admitted as she began to glow in her red aura, slowing healing herself. The brunette followed Caroline as she began to lead the group to their new destination, Aaron's house.

Sophia was going to follow the group, but stopped herself when a sudden gleam of light caught her attention. She glanced over to see what it was, and saw a piece of metal sitting on the street. The ex-roserade approached the object and felt her heart skip a beat when she realized what it was.

It was Aaron's saber, laying on the ground surrounded by a small spot of dry blood. Sophia picked up the weapon by its handle and examined the sword. The blade was worn, due to the heavy amounts of fighting it's been through. However, the thing that really took the ex-roserade by surprise was the power that she felt flow from the sword, power she recognized.

"Aaron's aura," she whispered to herself. The aura itself was faint, but there. The thought of the battle hardened teen made Sophia's heart churn as she stared into the blade, not even noticing that she began to shake once more.

 _"Aaron's been captured by the enemy.'_ She reminded herself. _Said enemy is in... love... with him. Not only that, but he's completely defenseless as well.'_ Her breathing became shallow at the thoughts, getting more and more worried for Aaron. _"What are they going to do to him?!'_

Melissa stopped and turned around when she noticed Sophia wasn't following the group. She frowned when she saw the ex-roserade stand in place, staring at an object in her hands.

"Oi! Sophia! What are you waiting for?!" The brunette called out to her friend. The rest of the group stopped and turned as well, waiting for her to follow. Melissa frowned further when the ex-roserade didn't respond, and decided to walk over to her frozen friend. "Hey, Sophia? Did you hear-?"

The brunette ceased her talking when she saw what Sophia was staring at. The blade she held in her hands vibrated due to Sophia's trembling. Melissa slowed down her walking as she approached her friend, eyeing the saber in disbelief. After a few seconds, the brunette shook her head to snap herself out of the trance, remembering why she approached the ex-roserade.

"H-hey... Sophia..." Melissa whispered to her, making the ex-roserade snap back to reality herself.

"O-oh... Melissa..." Sophia said softly, noticing the worried look on her brunette friend.

"Aaron... uh... left his sword behind, huh?" Melissa said while she glanced at the blade, making it sound more like a statement than a question.

Sophia paused as she looked back at the saber in her hands, seeing more of the scratches that covered the piece of metal. Sadness struck her heart as she began to tremble once more, distraught by her failure to save the commander.

"Aaron..." Sophia whispered in sorrow, quickly getting Melissa's attention. "He... he was alone when he fought against the knights and their leader. He needed us..." The ex-roserade felt tears at the corners of her red orbs, letting them stream down her cheeks. "He... needed... me... The one time he needed me to help him, and I failed miserably! It's my fault he's so hurt! It's my fault he got captured! It's all my-!"

"Hey, hey!" Melissa yelled, interrupting the ex-roserade; she grabbed Sophia by her shoulders and forced her to make eye contact. "Listen to me Sophia! This is not your fault!"

"Of course it's my fault!" Sophia yelled back in denial, dropping Aaron's saber in the process. The blade clanked onto the street and sat silently next to their feet. "He got captured because I wasn't strong enough to stop them! If... if was strong... then... then he wouldn't-!"

"You're not the only one who fought against them Sophia!" Melissa exclaimed, shaking her friend back and forth. "Don't forget that Carol and I fought too! You're not to blame solely here!" Melissa quickly felt her own self loathing hit her, knowing that she was also defeated. "I also failed to save him," she said as she felt tears coming to her brown eyes, but she shook them off before continuing. "I was there too Sophia, I got beaten down too. If you to failed to protect Aaron, then I failed too! But don't you DARE blame yourself for him getting hurt! You didn't hurt him at all, those bastards of Team Bellator did!"

Sophia looked away from the brunette's fierce glare; she didn't want to admit it, but she knew Melissa was right, she never caused any damage to Aaron. But the ex-roserade still knew that Aaron's capture was still her own failure, that was undeniable. But at the same time, she also knew that it was not entirely her fault.

"Sophia, look at me." Melissa commanded in a soft tone, removing the fierce glare she had and loosening the grip she had on the ex-roserade's shoulders. When Sophia wouldn't budge, the brunette gently placed one of her forefingers under the ex-roserade's chin and made their heads face each other, once again making eye contact. "This is _not_ your fault Sophia, Aaron getting hurt is _not_ your fault. Do you understand?" Melissa asked softly.

Sophia's crimson eyes stared into Melissa's brown orbs, seeing how serious she really was. The brunette meant every word she said, and seeing how she won't take no for an answer, Sophia nodded slowly, confirming that she fully understood.

"Good, good." A small grin broke across Melissa's face as her eyes began to gleam with determination. "Now, I want- no... I _need_ you to promise me something, Sophia," she said with a hint of anger. "I need you to promise me that you'll make those bastards pay for hurting and capturing Aaron. I need you to promise me that you'll save him with every fiber in your being. Can you promise me that, Sophia?"

The ex-roserade kept staring at the brunette's brown orbs, absorbing some of the courage Melissa was emanating. Sophia wiped away some of the tears on her face and eyes, giving the brunette her own small grin while nodding.

"I promise," she said.

Melissa's smile increased in length as she reached down and picked up Aaron's saber. "Give this to him once we save him, okay?" she said as she offered the blade to the ex-roserade.

"I will." Sophia nodded again, taking the sword.

With that complete, Melissa led Sophia back to group, who gave the ex-roserade their own reassuring smiles.

"We'll help you in any way we can, Sophia," Beth said.

"We've got your back." Leo smiled.

"Team Bellator's gonna wish they've never been born," Mac said.

"I- WE will not allow Team Bellator to cause anyone any more suffering." Caroline acknowledged with a small grin. The soldiers nearby them also gave out their own cheers and agreements, ready to assist the ex-roserade wherever needed.

Sophia gave the group a warm smile before following them to their next destination, her house; she was hopeful that the dark gems were there and that they would be useful for when the time comes. They need to be ready for the next major battle if the group wanted victory.

 _"Hang in there Aaron.'_ Sophia thought. _"We're coming for you!'_

* * *

Aaron groaned exhaustively as he regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to see what happened to him, and found himself looking into a unfamiliar setting. He was sitting in chair that was located in a poorly lit room. The small room had nothing else within, only a heavy metal door that sat closed in front of the teen. Aaron attempted to move up from his seat, but quickly found himself unable to do so, due to his hands and legs being cuffed to the large chair. The commander tried tossing his body back and forth to move the chair, but the large object stayed in place, not moving an inch.

 _"It must be bolted down into the floor.'_ Aaron thought. _"Where am I? What happened-?'_ As he was thinking that, memories of the past daily events began to flood in his mind. He remembered seeing his entire company of soldiers die all at once. He recalled seeing Beth and her pokemon get defeated within a few seconds. The commander even remembered his battle against the four knights and his defeat, along with the Bellator queen crushing his friends with ease.

Aaron's heart sank as he recalled the battle between Sophia, Melissa, Caroline, and Viola. The three women barely stood a chance against the powerful queen, and were quickly cut down as a result. The commander was awake during the time, helpless as he watched Viola strike down the trio with an extremely powerful aura slash. But the memory that hurt him he the most was when Viola broke several of Sophia's ribs with an extremely powerful aura punch.

 _"Holy crap, Sophia...'_ He could still hear her pained screams when it happened, said scream echoed within his mind. The commander hated himself for not being able to stop it. _"At least I stopped the killing blow... barely...'_ Aaron looked around the room once more, making sure he was only the one there. _"Gotta get out of this chair, but how-?'_

The teen's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the metal door click and open slowly. The bright light emanating from behind it blinded the teen, due to his eyes being adjusted to the dark. He groaned sharply and turned away, closing his eyes in the process. When Aaron heard the door close, he opened his eyes and checked to see who entered the room. The commander immediately frowned afterward, knowing who the arrival was.

"Ah, you're awake! That's great!" Viola Bellator said sweetly as she looked at the bounded teen. The Bellator queen now wore a black off the shoulders dress with removable sleeves. The bottom portion of the dress was split open towards the right, showing off one of her slender milky legs. The queen held a tray in her hands, which had a bowl of cut strawberries and a glass of water sitting on it.

"Viola," Aaron said flatly, slightly deterred by her sweet tone. Confusion however swept aside those feelings in the teen when he heard the queen moan afterward, seemingly pleased that he said her name.

"Oh~! You remembered my name~! That's so sweet of you~!" The queen gleamed.

Aaron frowned further, getting angered by her presence. "How could I forget the name of the person who murdered my men, had me beaten half to death, and severely injured my friends?" He questioned darkly.

"Come on sweetheart, you shouldn't dwell in the past," Viola said as her smile increased in size. "It's the future you should look forward to..." Before Aaron could respond to that, the queen continued to speak. "Besides, I had to knock you out when you fought back. How am I supposed to help you if you keep resisting?"

"What do you expect me me to do when you kill my men?" Aaron asked coldly. "Start skipping around, thinking that everything's okay?!"

"Hmm... maybe? I don't know about you, but I like that skipping part." Viola cooed, furthering the disgust and anger that resided in Aaron. The queen approached the trapped teen and placed the tray on top of his bounded lap; she took a strawberry from the bowl and held it in front of his face, wanting to feed the commander. "C'mon love~! Open up and say 'Aww'!"

Aaron turned his head away from the red fruit, denying the queen. Unfortunately for the teen, his stomach began to protest, hungry due to him not eating anything for several hours.

"Don't resist sweetheart, I know you're hungry~!" Viola cooed. "I also know that strawberries is one of your favorite foods~!" Aaron kept ignoring the queen, keeping the fruit away from his mouth. To the teen's annoyance, his stomach growled loud enough for Viola to hear. "See? You should eat to get rid of the hunger my love."

" **No**." Aaron growled coldly.

After a few more seconds, the queen sighed and lowered the strawberry. "Very well, you leave me no choice," she said. Aaron looked at her confusion as she lowered her head and inhaled deeply. When she raised her head again, Viola met his glance with a pair of wide lillipup eyes. "Please eat your strawberries~!"

Aaron eyes widened with shock, taken back that the queen knew the trick. The teen quickly tried to look away from her prying orbs, but every time he turned his head, she would follow to keep their eyes locked. After several seconds of twists and turns, Aaron used his last resort and closed his eyes, finally severing their eye contact.

"S-stop it..." Aaron demanded.

"Not until you eat your strawberries~!" The queen beamed.

The commander kept eyes shut, not letting Viola's stare break him. At first it seemed to worked, but once the queen started to whimper, Aaron groaned mentally. He could feel his thoughts break at her sad sounds, which was somehow more effective than Sophia's. Aaron slowly opened his eyes, seeing that the strawberry was once again in front of his mouth, waiting for him to open up. Seeing no end to this, Aaron sighed in defeat and opened his mouth slightly, wide enough for the fruit to fit. The queen immediately placed the red fruit in his mouth, allowing him to bite down and chew it.

"See? It's not difficult at all~!" the queen said sweetly. Aaron ignored her tone as he finished eating the strawberry. Soon enough, Viola took another one from the bowl and held it front him. Aaron sighed softly once more before he ate the next strawberry. The queen continued to feed the bounded commander the rest of the bowl of fruit, looking straight into his eyes and smiling as she did. Once the bowl was empty, Viola fed Aaron the glass of water, which he drank slowly and completely.

The queen pulled away the now empty glass and set it down onto the tray. Aaron repressed a 'thank you' from exiting his mouth, remembering who he was dealing with. Seconds went by as Viola stood there, staring at the teen lovingly. Her violet orbs looked deeply into his chocolate brown eyes, never glancing away. Aaron scoffed at this and turned his head away, breaking their eye contact again. Viola however chuckled at his rebellious act before she brushed the tray off his lap. The sudden action surprised the commander as he listened to the tray hit the ground, along with the bowl and cup tapping against it. Aaron looked at the queen in confusion, who smiled before she brought herself onto him, quickly straddling herself on top of his lap.

 **WARNING: SEXUAL ACTIVITY HAS BEGUN.**

"Wh-what are you-?!" Aaron gasped, startled by what the queen was doing.

"Shh..." Viola shushed the teen, wrapping her arms behind his neck and bringing their faces closer together. Viola's purple orbs were half open as she played a small toothy grin. "Have I... ever told you how much I love you...?" She purred seductively.

"Wh... what...?" Aaron whispered in fear, trying to push his head back to get away from her. The chair however kept him from doing so.

"I'll take that as a no..." Viola whispered, still keeping her smile. "Well, just know that I'm _madly_ in love with you." Her smile increased slightly as she continued. "And in time, you'll love me too."

The teen repressed a gasp, more fear coming into his system from the queen's statement. Aaron however tried to brush these feelings off as he gave her the best glare he could. "I will **NEVER** love you!" He growled fiercely.

Viola pressed her body closer to his, bringing their chests and hips together. The amount of friction that rubbed against the teen caused a bulge to emerge underneath the fabric of his pants, one that the queen could feel.

" _Someone else_ disagrees with that, my love~..." Viola whispered, feeling his unwanted arousal build up.

Aaron blushed heavily at his body's betrayal before he turned his head away, not wanting see the queen. "Get... g-get off of m-me...!" he whispered, his voice consumed in fear.

Viola was going to follow him again, but she stopped herself when she saw a vulnerable spot on Aaron's neck. Smiling deeply, the queen immediately took the opportunity and dived in, placing her open mouth on the crook of his neck, sucking and and nibbling on it. Aaron gasped sharply, surprised at the action, and quickly tried to shake the queen off. After several seconds, the Bellator queen pulled away and checked her handy work.

"Oh~! I left a mark~!" She cooed loudly. "Now you really are mine~!"

The bounded teen felt his rage snap once he realized she left a hickey on neck and snarled at the queen. "Go fuck yourself!"

Rather than reel away from the insult like Aaron wanted, Viola continued to press their bodies closer. "Now why would I do that when I have someone to 'fuck' right here and now?"

Aaron looked at the queen in confusion for a few seconds before realizing what she meant. In the span of a few seconds, all of the rage that was in Aaron's system was washed away by heavy fear. In that moment, the bounded teen wished he could take back what he said as he stared at her with a terrified look.

"You have no idea how badly I want to ravage you, my sweet." She purred, feeling her arousal increase with each passing second. "To feel you inside me when we finally connect...! I'm getting excited just by thinking about it!" The queen pulled back and sighed sadly, replacing her smile with a small frown. "Alas, we can't make love just yet. We need to save our purity for our wedding night."

"W-w-wedding... n-night...?" Aaron whispered fearfully.

"Yes, our wedding is still a while from today, meaning no love making for now." Viola confirmed sadly; she paused for a few seconds before giving Aaron another small toothy grin as she stared at him lustfully. "However, there are... _other_ ways for us to relieve ourselves that doesn't involve us truly having sex."

Before the bounded commander had a chance to respond, Viola ground her hips against his, rubbing their covered sexes together. Aaron gasped at the sudden action and shivered in fear when Viola chuckled at the light noise he made, enjoying his response.

"Moaning already...?" The queen purred in a sultry tone. "I haven't even truly started yet and you're enjoying it a lot..." She hummed a chuckle as she slowly brought her hands down, drawing them close to the teen's crotch.

"W-wait...! S-stop it...! P-please, I-!" Aaron begged.

"Shh... it's okay..." Viola soothed at the frantic commander. "I promise you'll enjoy this~..."

The queen grasped the hem of Aaron's pants, slowly undoing the buttoning and unzipping them. Once she finished, Viola opened the pants up, revealing the gray boxers that were underneath. A noticeable bulge was stretching the fabric of the commander's undergarments, which made Viola lick her lips in anticipation.

"You're so... hard..." Viola whispered lustfully, staring at his covered sex. "It's begging to be released from its prison..."

"S-stop it...! Please, just stop...!" Aaron begged once more.

The Bellator queen didn't respond to the teen's pleas as she got up from the chair. Taking a hold of the open edge of the slit of her dress, Viola opened it wider, showing off both of her legs and the black lace panties she wore. The undergarments were visibly drenched, showing off how aroused the queen really was.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Viola whispered to the trapped teen, who got more terrified at the sight of her arousal.

The queen straddled herself on top of Aaron once more, pushing their hips together. As she did this, the queen's nether region rubbed against the covered bulge of Aaron's crotch, earning a light moan from Viola. Aaron gasped again, already feeling sickened by the pleasure he felt. The teen frantically pulled his hands against the cuffs, trying his best to free himself of imprisonment. The teen even began to glow in his aura to increase the struggle, but nothing worked. The cuffs remained in place, never moving.

"I don't think so, sweetheart~...!" Viola cooed. "You're not getting out of those anytime soon. Those cuffs are specifically designed to keep aura users from escaping. The more you struggle, the stronger they get." The queen inched her face closer to the commander's, giving him small toothy smile. "Now, where were we~...?"

Viola ground her hips against his, which in turn caused their covered sexes to grind against each other. The queen moaned at the pleasure she felt, getting into a slow pace of thrusting her hips. Aaron gasped and groaned in protest, feeling more and more sickened by the second.

"N-no! Stop it! STOP IT!" Aaron yelled, begging the queen to cease. "I don't want-!"

Before Aaron had the chance to finish, Viola pressed her lips against his, bringing the duo into a deep kiss. While Aaron was shocked by the sudden lip-lock, more fear poured into his system when the queen inserted her tongue into his mouth, pressing it against his own red organ. The two tongues danced with each other, with Aaron's doing everything in its power to avoid Viola's. Aaron tried to break the kiss by attempting to shake his head back and forth, but the queen stopped this by wrapping her arms behind the teen's neck, deepening the intense lip-lock.

The queen ground herself faster against Aaron, feeling the pleasure increase as she did. Viola broke away from the kiss they shared to catch a breath and groan at the ecstasy building at her core. Soon afterward, the queen gasped when she felt the small nub above her sex touch Aaron's covered shaft, skyrocketing her even further in pleasure.

"Ah~! I-I'm... I'm so close~!" Viola cried out as she sped up the already fast paced grinding, feeling her climax getting closer to fruition. The queen noticed Aaron's eyes were closed tightly, signally that he wouldn't last long either. "You're... close... too... aren't you~...?" The queen panted between breaths.

Aaron only gave her a small groan, trying to hold back on the climax building up in his member. Viola pressed her head against his and brought their bodies even closer as she began the last few thrusts, wanting as much friction between the two as possible. Within a few seconds, Viola's back arched forward as she screamed up at the ceiling, feeling her climax crash down onto her. The pleasure overloaded her as the queen ground herself one last time against Aaron, forcing him over the edge as well and making him pour his seed into his boxers. The teen exhaled sharply as the aftershocks of pleasure washed over him; he felt disgusted however, not wanting the pleasure he felt.

The two teens panted tiredly when Viola stopped moving, riding out the last waves of their orgasms. They looked at each other with half open eyes; Viola stared at him lovingly while Aaron only looked back in fear and disgust.

"W... w-why...?" Aaron whispered in a small voice, breaking the silence they shared.

Viola remained quiet for a few seconds, still trying to catch her breath to respond clearly to the teen. Once she did, the Bellator queen pressed her head against his before whispering, "Because I love you Aaron, and I wanted to show you what types of pleasures I can bring you..."

"B-but... I didn't..." Aaron whispered. "I don't... want... _this_..."

"In time, my love," Viola whispered back. "In time... you'll be _asking_ for this~."

 **NOTICE: SEXUAL ACTIVITY HAS CEASED**

The queen slowly raised herself onto her feet; her legs were wobbly due to the aftermath of their pleasure ride. Viola gently closed up the sickened commander's pants before walking over to the fallen glass cup and tray, picking them up in the process. The queen placed the tray onto Aaron's lap and brought her face close to his once more.

"Remember my love," Viola said, tracing a finger across Aaron's chest. "That this was just a _taste_ of what I can really do. When our wedding night arrives, you'll find out that no other woman can bring you as much pleasure as me~."

"But... I don't-" Aaron tried to whisper, never getting the chance to finish once Viola pressed a finger on his forehead. The digit glowed in a light pink energy that pulsed through the commander's body. Aaron gasped lightly at first, then groaned softly as fatigue washed over him, making him incredibly sleepy.

"Sweet dreams, my king~." Viola purred as Aaron slowly closed his eyes. The last he saw was her sweet smile as he drifted off into a deep slumber. Viola placed a quick kiss on his cheek before walking over to the door and opening it, leaving the room afterward. Her heart and mind raced with excitement as she constantly went over what she would do with Aaron.

 _"I can't wait to marry him!'_ The queen thought as she closed the door.


	21. Chapter 21

Caroline made a sudden jerk during her walking, due to odd feelings that passed through her body. Said feelings emanated from Aaron's aura, and were mostly of fear and disgust. However, unwanted pleasure came off the second in command as well, which only served to confused the ginger.

" _Unwanted pleasure…?'_ Caroline questioned in her mind, wondering what was happening to Aaron. _"Along with fear and disgust… what are they-?'_ It didn't take long for the ginger to connect the dots of Aaron's emotions and the Bellator leader's feelings for him. Once she figured it out, absolute disgust and anger consumed Caroline, for she knew exactly what the enemy leader was doing to him. _"That sick, twisted…! Is that monster actually-?!'_

"Oi, Carol?" Melissa said to the ginger, snapping her back into reality. "Are you alright?"

"O-oh, I'm… fine…" Caroline responded slowly to the brunette, trying to sweep aside the anger and disgust. "My leg's just killing me, is all…"

" _I can't tell her what's truly happening…'_ The ginger thought, feeling a ping of guilt hit her for retaining information from the brunette. _"If I do, she would try to rush towards the enemy with no planning whatsoever, which means certain death, especially in her current condition.'_

Melissa extended one of her arms out, offering it to the ginger. "Wanna lean on me? It would probably help," she said.

"Uh… no thanks, I'll be fine." Carol declined slowly.

"You sure? I promise I don't bite… _hard_ ," Melissa said, flashing a toothy grin smile at the ginger. But to the brunette's slight disappointment, Caroline shook her head, declining her help once more and continued to lead the group. "Hmph, fine, play hard to get." The brunette pouted. Honestly, Melissa was a little relieved that the ginger passed on the offer of help, since Melissa herself wasn't fairing well either; she didn't know why she offered to help in the first place.

The group continued through the damaged city, noticing that the sky was getting darker as time passed by. Night was approaching the region, and it wouldn't be long until it enveloped the sky, taking away most of the light.

"Y'know, I'm both surprised and relieved that Team Bellator hasn't attacked the city again," Leo said to no one in particular.

"Don't jinx it pipsqueak." Mac warned the shaggy hair captain, earning a burning glare from him in return.

"But why?" Sophia asked, curious as to why their enemy ceased such a large scale attack. "Why didn't they attack again? Team Bellator could've easily taken the city if they did."

"I don't know Sophia," Caroline responded to the white hair girl. "But I do have a theory."

"And that is?" Beth asked.

"What if this wasn't an attack?" Caroline asked the group, quickly getting their attention.

"What do you mean this wasn't an attack?" Melissa said skeptically. "Of course it was! Just look at yourself and the city!"

"Let me finish," the ginger said, continuing her explanation. "What if this wasn't an attack, but a large scale raid instead?" she asked the entire group.

"A raid…?" Beth questioned slowly.

Caroline gave her captain a small nod. "Think about it, if this was an attack, Team Bellator would've kept up their assault until they had complete control of the city, considering they had the manpower to do so. However, they chose not to, and instead decided to fall back when they completed two objectives. One: the destruction of the UDF headquarters, and two-"

"Kidnapping Aaron," Sophia said in a sad tone.

Caroline gave the ex-roserade a sympathetic look, along with a small nod. "Team Bellator's leader wanted to draw us out, and she succeeded. In doing so, she was able to lure Aaron out and capture him," she said.

"Well, that was one hell of a raid, considering their leader brought over half of her forces to achieve it." Mac pitched in.

"She probably wasn't taking any chances," Beth said. "Still, a single raid was able to reduce the city to this." The raven haired captain gestured to the burning building around them. "I don't even want to think what a full scale and organized attack would do."

"Yeah," Leo said, agreeing with his peer. "There would be nothing left but smoke."

"But this being a raid still doesn't explain why Team Bellator wouldn't attack the city again," Mac said to the group.

"That… I have yet to uncover." Caroline admitted. "For now, let's keep moving, it's getting dark out here."

Each person of the group gave Caroline their own type of agreement as they continued to follow her. For the next half hour the ginger led the group out of the city and into a nearby suburb. To the group's surprise, the suburb was completely unscathed. However, every house on every block was completely vacant, due to the people living there evacuating the area. The group kept advancing through the empty streets until Caroline gradually slowed her walking speed. They were on a street that Sophia and Melissa quickly recognized, and soon came across a small house; one that Sophia instantly knew.

"So _this_ is where you and Aaron live?" Leo asked the ex-roserade, examining the small house when he received a nod from her. "Looks rather… small, compared to the rest of the houses in the neighborhood."

"Don't be rude." Beth glared at her fellow captain, giving him a punch to the shoulder.

"Ow…!" Leo gasped out, rubbing the affected area of the punch. "S-sorry… I didn't mean to insult…"

"It's alright, I understand what you mean," Sophia said, giving the captain a reassuring grin. "Sure, it's not as big as the other houses, but it's cozy for Aaron and I to live in."

Caroline approached the front door of the house and attempted to open it, only for the door and its knob to stay in place. "Dammit." She swore under her breath. "It's locked."

"Should we bust it down?" Mac offered, grabbing the handle of his war hammer.

"That won't be necessary," Sophia said with a small smile as she approached and leaned down next to a pile of rocks near the door. The ex-roserade examined the small pile for a few seconds before she picked up a white rock that was bigger than the others. Underneath was a key that was somewhat dug into the dirt; Sophia took the key and quickly showed it to the group.

"Aaron had a spare?" Melissa questioned. "Why didn't he tell me about it?"

"Probably to keep you from raiding the kitchen at your whim." Sophia answered, earning a small glare from the brunette.

"You calling me fat?" Melissa growled lowly.

"N-no…" Sophia quickly whispered under the glare.

"Good…" Melissa said, not letting up the stare she gave the ex-roserade.

Sophia gave the brunette an awkward smile before she handed off the key to Caroline. The ginger brushed off some of the dirt of the piece of metal before she inserted it into the door, effectively unlocking it a second later. Caroline slowly opened the door and peered inside before walking inside with Sophia following close behind.

When the ex-roserade entered the house, she immediately felt heavy amounts of dread hit her at full force. The house that gave her joy and comfort was darkened and felt completely lifeless, due to no one living within it for a month. It hurt Sophia, seeing their house void of life, but she tried to brush off these feelings as she continued to walk further in. Melissa, Leo and Beth soon followed after, leaving Mac and the rest of the group outside to guard the house. Once inside, the three new arrivals settled themselves around the living room, finally letting themselves rest after a long and chaotic day.

Going further into the house, Sophia arrived in the master bedroom, where she and Aaron used to sleep. More sadness poured into the ex-roserade's system as she thought about Aaron and the days before she knew about Team Bellator. Sophia wanted those days to return, so she could live with her beloved in peace once more.

" _All the more reason to save Aaron and end this war.'_ Sophia thought as she tried to brush the feelings of sadness away. _"But first, I need to find the dark gem, assuming Aaron has one in the chest.'_

Sophia approached the bed and leaned down to look under it, quickly finding the chest she set out for. Pulling the object out and opening it, Sophia shuffled through the contents of the chest, trying to find the item the group needed. There were all sorts of trinkets inside the chest, including a couple vacant poke-balls, a strange designed scarf, oddly designed glasses, and a smoke bomb.

"Come on… it has to be here," Sophia whispered, worried that the group came to the house for nothing. The ex-roserade kept up her search through the chest until a black object finally caught her attention. It was shaped like a diamond and was translucent, allowing Sophia to see the dark misty energy that swirled within. The white haired girl slowly picked the rock up, feeling the power the gem gave off; she shivered, disliking the energy she felt.

" _Is this what it's like to be a dark type…?'_ Sophia thought. _"It's… strange…'_

The ex-roserade set the gem down and rummaged through the chest once more, trying to find another dark gem. To her surprise and relief, she found another, which gave off the same energy as the last one. Trying to find more, Sophia kept looking through the chest, but couldn't find anymore within. Nevertheless, Sophia was satisfied with her find, and was quick to take the dark gems in hand to present them to the rest of the group. She left the room and walked towards her four group members who were waiting for her in the livingroom.

"Are those it?" Melissa asked, getting a nod from the ex-roserade.

"Good," Caroline said, relieved that they now had possession of two dark stones. "That solves one problem."

"Now we go and save Aaron, right?" Melissa said, getting up from the couch she sat on.

"Not yet." Caroline denied, shaking her head. "First, we need to rest up and regain our strength."

"What do you mean, 'not yet'?" Melissa questioned, slightly taken back that they wouldn't save Aaron right away. "We have what we need, meaning we should go after him right now! There's no telling what Team Bellator is doing to him at this moment!"

Caroline grimaced a little; despite the brunette's saying, the ginger _did_ know what Team Bellator-more specifically, their leader-was doing to the commander. The sheer thought of it made Caroline sick to her stomach; she wanted to save him right now, but she knew that doing so would spell disaster for her team, given their current state.

"I know how you feel Melissa." Caroline reasoned with the brunette. "But we are in no condition to go after him right now. We _have_ to rest we want any chance of success."

"But… he needs-!" Melissa tried to argue once more.

"What if you found him-right now-in your current state?" Caroline asked. "How would you help him? How would you fend off the countless waves off Bellator forces? How would you fight their insanely powerful leader plus the knights accompanying her _on your own_?" Melissa remained quiet, prompting the ginger to continue. "Like I said, I know how you feel; I want to save him too. But we can't go guns blazing at Team Bellator while we're still injured _and_ without a plan. We need to rest up if we want to stand a chance against them, okay?"

The brunette paused for a few more seconds, absorbing the words Caroline said. Melissa sighed and gave the ginger a small nod, agreeing with her. "Alright, we'll rest up for now. But I expect you to have a plan in order to save him," she said, giving Caroline a stern look before retreating to the sofa she sat on previously.

Caroline gave the brunette nod, then proceeded to walk out of the house to give orders to the soldiers waiting outside. Beth and Leo took up their own spots around the living room to rest, meanwhile Sophia placed the dark gems on the couch next to Melissa. The brunette gave the ex-roserade a nod, confirming she would watch over the black rocks. Sophia grinned lightly in return before making her way back into the master bedroom, wanting some rest herself.

Stepping inside the room once more, Sophia couldn't help but feel dread consume her again. Much like the rest of the house, the bedroom where she and Aaron would sleep felt lifeless. Most of the contents were untouched, like the blankets on the bed. Not one wrinkle could be seen on the surface, indicating no one used it for a long time. Such thoughts hurt Sophia, which made her want the old days to return now more than ever.

Sophia took a seat on the bed and sighed as the sad thoughts roamed around her head. She, like Melissa, wanted to find and save Aaron at that moment. But she knew that Caroline was right, the group needed to rest. Had it been otherwise, it would cause certain death for them. But it also pained Sophia knowing that Aaron was most likely going through tortures she couldn't possibly imagine.

As these thoughts continued to sadden the ex-roserade, a sudden gleam of light caught her attention. Said gleam emanated from the closet, which was slightly open. Inside, Sophia could see a small bit of green clothing, which she assumed was a sleeve to a shirt of some kind. Wanting to investigate, the ex-roserade got up from her spot on the bed and opened the closet further open, revealing what had caught her attention.

To her surprise, Sophia found out that the green piece of clothing was actually the roserade outfit she had on when she was transformed into a human. The several pieces of clothing hung on a hanger, along with her green roserade mask and golden necklace hanging within it. After she gave it to Aaron, he cleaned it and put it in the closet, and it stayed there ever since. Sophia reached out her hand towards the outfit and lightly grazed her finger on the silky fabric. Through the contact, a light pulse of energy flowed through Sophia. She couldn't explain it, all the ex-roserade knew that she felt slightly stronger from the light contact.

Curious by this small discovery, Sophia took the roserade outfit from the closet and placed it on the bed. Afterward, she approached and closed the door of the master bedroom, wanting some privacy when she decided to change into her original apparel.

* * *

Melissa remained silent as she sat on the couch, waiting for what seemed like hours to her. After Caroline returned inside to inform her, Leo and Beth about the orders she gave to Mac and the rest of the soldiers outside, the brunette decided to just sit and wait. Not far from her, Caroline and her two captains took up their own spots to rest. The ginger herself sat against a wall with her eyes closed, glowing in her green aura to heal. Leo also sat against a wall that was opposite to Caroline's, only he was sleeping quietly. Meanwhile, Beth could be seen sitting on one of the chairs to the table of the living room. The raven haired captain held an ultra-ball in her hands, which housed her Ho-oh; she held it close to her chest, humming quietly to it.

Melissa sighed quietly as she closed her eyes, thinking on how the group was going to save Aaron. They didn't have a lot of options at their disposal; sure, the dark stones would probably give them an edge, but only if they actually worked. Even then, the two stones were only meant to deal with Team Bellator's leader, who was still incredibly powerful without her psychic powers. And if the group failed to defeat her and her army, it would mean that Melissa would lose Aaron, just like how she lost Ryan.

The brunette's thought trailed onto her deceased friend now, filling her heart with more sadness. Melissa missed the teen, longing to see his strawberry blonde hair and to hear his voice saying dumb puns. She could remember the goofy smile he would give to the group when their spirits soured. Melissa's friend- no, her _brother_ was gone, and she wasn't aware that he was dead for who knows how long.

The brunette hated herself for that.

When Melissa learned that Ryan disappeared, she spent an entire week trying to search for him. Aaron of course joined the brunette in the hunt, but suddenly came to a stop a few days into it. After the search came to a halt and the investigation was put on hold, the brunette hoped that the blonde teen would be found alive somewhere.

For an entire year, Melissa has held onto that false hope.

Once Aaron informed her and Sophia about what truly happened to Ryan, Melissa wanted nothing more than revenge on the people who murdered him. She swore she would make Team Bellator pay for what they've done, along with watch over Aaron to keep him from suffering a similar fate. Melissa wanted to protect the teen just like how he did for her on that rainy day.

Melissa despised herself even more for failing to keep that promise. The one time Aaron needed her to protect him from their enemy's clutches, and she failed miserably.

" _Snap out of it you idiot!'_ Melissa yelled at herself internally, getting annoyed by the self loathing consuming her. _"Hating yourself won't do you any good! Remember your talk with Sophia, focus your hate on the people who captured him._ They're _the reason he's not here right now.'_

Once the brunette calmed herself down, the noise of a door opening soon afterward quickly grabbed her attention. Melissa, along with Caroline and Beth, looked towards the hallway that the noise came from. Soon enough, Sophia walked into living room, wearing her roserade outfit. The clothing, suffice to say, gave her the appearance a roserade, which made the rest of the females in the room look at her in awe.

"Wow, you look incredible," Melissa whispered to the ex-roserade.

"Yeah…" Beth agreed, somewhat gawking at the white haired girl. "I'm pretty sure Leo would have a nosebleed if he saw you."

"Why are you wearing that Soph?" Caroline questioned.

"I… really don't know, to be honest." Sophia admitted, looking at the fabric that covered her arms. "I… I think it was calling to me, and now that I'm wearing it, it feels like I put on a piece of me that I haven't had in awhile…"

"Ugh…" Leo groaned lowly out as he exited his light slumber, woken from the talking. "Wh… what's with all the noi-?" As the captain's vision came to, he could clearly make out the outfit Sophia was wear, which shocked him a bit. "Wow… you… look so pretty right now." He complimented.

"Oh? Are you hitting on her Leo?" Beth questioned with a sly grin.

"N-no, I'm not! I swear!" The shaggy haired captain stuttered out, waving his hands in defense. "I was just complimenting her is all!"

"Hmph, sure you were," Beth said, keeping her small grin.

"Anyways," Caroline said to the group, getting their attention. "We should get some shut eye. We'll need the energy for tomorrow."

"Oh? You have a plan?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah, I'll tell you guys about in the morning." The ginger answered. "In the meantime, you should get some sleep. Your aura should heal you whilst your unconscious."

"Are you sure we should just sleep, ma'am?" Beth questioned. "What if Team Bellator attacks the city again?"

"If they were going to attack, they would've done it by now," Caroline said. "Besides, if they _do_ attack again, we have soldiers all over the city who will defend it. They'll call me if they see any activity. Also, Mac and a couple squads are patrolling the area and will release some ghost pokemon to watch over for the night, so don't worry about any sneak attacks." The ginger leaned herself against the wall and closed her eyes, mewling out a small yawn while she did. "Get some rest guys, you deserve it after today." With that said, Caroline slumped over a few seconds later, indicating she dozed off.

Melissa nodded at the ginger before she laid the rest of her body on the sofa, being careful not to knock off the dark gems that were nearby. Closing her eyes and glowing in her aura, the brunette soon fell into her own sleep, snoring lightly in the process. The two nearby captains got into their own spots and drifted off as well, finally getting the rest they wanted.

Sophia retreated back into the master bedroom, taking off her mask, necklace and loafers in the process. She placed those items aside on the nightstand before slipping herself underneath the blankets of the bed. As she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, a familiar scent filled her nose. It didn't take the ex-roserade to recognize that the scent belonged to Aaron.

Sophia disliked this, she didn't want to sleep in this bed alone, not without _him_. The white haired girl wanted to hold onto the teen whenever she went to sleep, it made doing that so much easier. But Aaron wasn't here, and it broke her heart having to stay in the bed by herself.

Sleep came slowly to Sophia that night; she missed her beloved heavily.

* * *

 **The next day.**

Aaron's eyes cracked open slowly as he broke away from his uncomfortable slumber. The teen checked his surroundings, finding himself in the same poorly lit room from yesterday, still bound to the large chair. The commander groaned sorely as he felt his muscles ache, due to him sleeping against metal.

" _How… long… I have been out…?'_ Aaron thought, trying to remember the events from the day before. _"I… I remember waking up in this room before, along with Viola coming in and feeding me… strawberries? I think it was strawberries… Anyway, after that, she-"_

At that moment, all of the memories of what the Bellator queen did came crashing back at the teen, filling him with fear and disgust once more. Aaron could recall the unwanted pleasure he felt from her, along with _every_ movement she did on him. The commander wanted nothing more than to hate the queen for what she did, to call her by multiple insults to lash his rage out, or do anything to spite the queen.

But to Aaron's astonishment, he couldn't bring up _any_ hate for her.

" _Why?!'_ The commander yelled in his mind. _"Why can't I hate her?! What she did to me was unforgivable, and yet can't hate her for it! Why can't I?! Why?! Why why why WHY?!'_

These confused thoughts were interrupted however, when the large metal door in front of Aaron clicked several time, indicating that someone was unlocking it. The already high fear in the commander's system increased, for he knew who was about to enter the room. The door opened, and the bright light from behind it blinded Aaron, just like yesterday. When he heard it close, the teen kept his head down, trying to avoid making eye contact with _her_.

"Good morning sweetheart~!" Viola cried out to the teen, wearing a bright smile on her face.

Aaron refused to look up, afraid of even seeing the queen's presence. His bound hands shook rapidly with fear when he heard her oddly sweet voice. _"Is my fear overpowering the hate I have for her?'_ The teen thought. _"It must be, there's no other way as to why I can't bring up any hate for her… unless…'_

Aaron recalled Viola using a strange pink energy on her finger that, when applied to his head, instantly knocked him out cold. However, during both times she used it on him, Aaron felt an odd sensation flow through his skull, which seemed to wash away most of the negative feelings he currently held for the queen.

" _Is… is that energy messing with my head…?'_

"Come on, sweetheart. I know you're awake," Viola said, once again interrupting the commander's thoughts. "I can see your hands shaking with excitement~!"

The queen began her slow approach towards the chair; each step of her heels clicking against the floor echoed within the small room. The constant clicks frightened Aaron as he heard her get closer and closer. When she finally stopped in front of him, Viola took a seat on the bounded teen's lap, straddling herself on top of him like the day before. This of course terrified Aaron, who still kept his head down, not wanting to be in the queen's presence. To his horror, Viola placed a finger under his chin to bring him up. To counter this, Aaron quickly shut his eye, once again avoiding looking at the queen.

"Won't you open your eyes, my love~?" Viola pondered warmly. "I'd like to see those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes of yours again~."

Her voiced echoed within Aaron's mind, setting off alarms within him as they bounced around. To the teen's dismay, his eyes slowly opened up, following the queen's soft command and allowing her to see the brown orbs once more. This shocked Aaron, who never thought he would listen to any order given by his enemy.

" _Why am I listening to her?!'_ Aaron thought, horribly confused by his actions.

"There we are~!" Viola cooed at the teen, gazing deeply into his brown eyes. The queen wrapped her arms behind the teens neck to draw their faces closer together, making their noses lightly touch each other. "So, how did you sleep last night, love?" Viola asked.

Aaron didn't respond right away, for he tried to think of a negative comeback. However, anything hateful he could think of simply vanished into a cloudy haze. Any hate he tried to muster evaporated in a second. Seeing no use to this, and exhaled tiredly and put up a neutral face, finally answering the queen.

"Terrible, thanks to this chair I'm currently cuffed to," he said.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry!" Viola frowned sadly, giving the commander a apologetic look. "I know sleeping on something like this can be a rather uncomfortable experience." She quickly smiled before continuing. "But don't worry! You won't have to stay in this chair after I'm done purifying you!"

The queen's words shocked Aaron, who raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Purifying...? W-what do you mean by that...?" he asked slowly.

"This," Viola said as she raised one of her forefingers in front of Aaron's face. The digit was quickly covered in the pink energy that she used before, which pulsed every few seconds. The hazy substance uneased Aaron, making him frown and slightly back away. "Whenever I use this on you, I can wash away any of the hate and filth that _idiot_ stored within you." Viola continued. "Then, once it's clean of that junk, I'll replace it with love! Think of it as a blood transfusion, but instead of putting blood in your veins, I'm putting love inside your head!"

The queen's explanation of the energy finally answered Aaron's question. It wasn't fear that was overriding his hate for her, nor was it making him follow her commands. It was love, Viola was making him love _her_.

"This power does have its drawbacks, however," Viola said with a frown. "The target is usually knocked out in the first couple of tries. Also, it drains my psychic powers heavily with each use, and will take multiple tries to actually make the target love you, usually ranging from five to ten tries. But it'll be all worth it in the end…"

Aaron couldn't believe what he was hearing, he was _falling_ for his enemy. This sick monster is destroying his feelings and is replacing them with something he doesn't want. The commander was once more frightened, because he feared this would rid of his feelings for Sophia.

"W… why…?" Aaron whispered out, catching her attention. "Why do you want me to love you? Why do you love _me_? Of all the people in this world, you love me, one of your sworn enemies. Why is that?"

His multiple questions made the queen go silent for a few seconds, who stared deeply into his eyes. She wondered if he was joking, but soon got her answer when his expression didn't change. Sighing, the queen dispersed the energy around her finger and lowered it, still looking into the commander's brown orbs.

"You… honestly _don't_ remember, do you?" Viola asked, but made it sound more like a statement than a question.

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked in return.

"I... guess I shouldn't be surprised, since it _did_ happen two years ago…" The queen let out another sad sigh before continuing. "But you don't remember that night? That mall in the city that was slowly burning down? And that trapped girl you saved from certain death?"

Her words sparked light into Aaron's eyes, who quickly remember the events of that time. "Wait a minute… you mean you were-?!"

"I was still learning how to use my powers that night." Viola interrupted. "I could've died in that fire, but you came in and saved me from that fate…"

* * *

 _ **Two years ago.**_

 _Hundreds of people could be seen walking through the vast complex that is the Castelia Mall, ranging from small children to slow walking elders. Among these people was a younger Viola, who wore a dark cloak over head, effectively hiding her hair and the vast majority of her face. Her strange appearance drew attention from several people, but she ignored most of them. To her, they were countless fools that would serve under her one day._

 _As Viola made her way through the mall, she spotted a crowd of people that were circled around what appeared to be a pair of pokemon trainers. Both were female, with one wearing the normal get up of a trainer, cap and all. Meanwhile, the other trainer wore more expensive clothing, showing off her wealthy status. In front of both trainers were their pokemon, the normal trainer had an eelektross, while a magmortar stood proudly in front of the rich trainer._

" _Really? An eelektross?" The rich trainer taunted her opponent with a smug grin. "I guess you should start counting out my victory money right now!"_

" _Oh please." The other trainer scoffed back. "You don't stand a chance against me! You're the one who should give up!"_

 _The rich trainer chuckled at her opponent before addressing her pokemon. "Magmortar, just blast that thing and end this battle. I don't want to hear anymore of her worthless babble."_

 _To most people, the two trainers might have looked like professionals in their field. But to Viola, they were mere idiots wasting there time with pointless pokemon battles. The queen to be never understood the appeal of having two or more creatures fight each other until one is left standing, she only found it to be incredibly idiotic and barbaric._

 _Mentally rolling her eyes at the two trainer's bickering, Viola continued through the mall and onto the second floor via escalator, passing by multiple crowds and shops along the way. The second floor of the building had a clear view of the level below, due to the floor being opened up halfway. Narrow passageways were the only way to transverse through half of the second floor, which is what Viola had to take._

 _During her stroll, the violet haired girl had a view of the crowd she saw early. More people had gathered to see the small battle between the trainers. Upon closer inspection, Viola could see that the eelektross was collapsed on the floor, seemingly fainted. The rich trainer's magmortar stood above it triumphantly while its master laughed at her opponent._

 _Viola once again rolled her eyes at the trainer and was going to continue her stroll, but the sounds of yelling caught her attention. The noise came from the same location the pokemon battle took place, and was coming from the rich trainer as well. From what Viola could tell, she was berating a male teen in the crowd. The queen to be could only make out the grey beanie on his head along with the dark grey jacket he wore. But once again, Viola couldn't bring herself to care, for that boy could be another dumb trainer wasting his life on meager activities._

 _After a couple minutes of walking by several more crowds of people and various shops, the queen to be finally rode up another pair of escalators and arrived onto the third floor. This floor was mostly like the first floor, aside from being way less populated and having most of the stores closed. Viola's eyes scanned the entire area, and soon frowned when she couldn't find what she was looking. Sighing, the violet haired girl sat down on top of a decorative water fountain and groaned in an annoyed voice._

" _Typical." Viola growled under her breath. "Whenever we have to go to a meeting place, father is_ always _late. Now he has me waiting in a mall of all places, and he knows I hate malls."_

 _That's when the question rose up in her mind; why did her father want to meet in a mall of all places? It would have made more sense to join up somewhere more secretive and away from the public eye. But for some reason, he decided to meet here, in one of the largest and most popular buildings in the entire city. Viola couldn't fathom why, and it wasn't her place to really question her father either. Whatever he said goes, and she had to obey him, even if it meant waiting for what seemed like hours on a mostly empty level in a large mall._

" _Now to play the waiting game…" Viola let out a aggravated sigh, wanting her father to arrive quickly. "Again…"_

* * *

" _You led us to another store that's completely sold out, Melissa," Aaron said to the brunette, who was following him after they left a ice cream shop inside the castelia mall. The teen was visibly exhausted, due to the small bags that hung underneath his eyes. "That's fantastic." He continued in a tired but sarcastic tone._

" _Hey, how was I supposed to know that they'd be sold out too?!" Melissa defended herself, yelling at her tired and cranky friend. "This was the last place that I could get a casteliacone! Now I have to wait until tomorrow to get one!"_

" _Hey guys,_ chill _. There's no need to_ ice scream _." A voice from behind the two laughed out, coming from a teen that was the same age as Aaron and Melissa. He wore a light blue shirt that matched his ice blue eyes. Grey jeans covered his legs, along with matching grey sneakers that covered his feet. A red cap sat on top of the teen's strawberry blonde shaggy hair, hiding some of it underneath._

" _Ryan, I don't want to hear your puns, I'm not in the mood," Melissa said to the blonde teen. "In fact, for ninety-nine percent of the time, I'm_ never _in the mood for your puns."  
_

" _Oh? Ninety-nine percent?" Ryan smiled at the brunette. "Does that mean that one percent_ does _like to hear my puns?"_

" _Don't start with me, bro…" Melissa threatened lightly, baring her teeth at the blonde._

 _Aaron rolled his eyes at the duo's bickering, too exhausted to be bothered to intervene. "C'mon, it's nighttime and I'm tired, let's get out of here," he said with a small yawn. "We can crash at a hotel."_

" _Yeah, I agree." Ryan concurred with his friend, keeping his small grin. "It's been a rather long day, let's come back tomorrow and see if they have anything then."_

 _The trio proceeded to walk towards the main entrance of the mall, about to exit into the night. Along the way, the three teens saw a large crowd that was circled around something. This intrigued Melissa, who stopped to try and see what everyone was looking at._

" _Hey, guys?" the brunette said to the other two teens. "What do you think is happening over there?"_

" _I don't know, nor do I really care." Aaron answered bitterly, making a quick glance at the crowd. "I just want to get out of here and get some shut eye."_

" _Oh come on Aaron! Lighten up!" Melissa whined at the curly haired teen. "Let's go and see what's happening for a couple seconds and then we'll go! Pleeeaaase?!"_

 _Aaron let out another annoyed groan, getting irritated by the brunette's whines. "Fine, but we're only looking for a quick second before leaving." He gave in, furrowing his brows._

 _Aaron and Ryan turned and followed Melissa into crowd, moving further towards the middle. When the trio arrived, they had a view of two female pokemon trainers. One had black hair that was tied up in a ponytail and wore the regular attire of any trainer. The other had long fiery red hair and wore some rather expensive gear. Between the two trainers were their pokemon, an eelektross that was collapsed in front of the black haired trainer, and a magmortar that stood triumphantly in front of the rich trainer._

 _Both trainers quickly zapped their pokemon back into their red and white spheres; the black haired trainer slowly and sadly walked toward the rich one, handing over several bills of money to her when she got close enough. The rich trainer proudly took the prize money, counting it out and waving it in front of her face victoriously. The black haired trainer turned around and walked away with her head down, humiliated by her loss. Several murmurs buzzed through the crowd, conversing about the battle they just witnessed._

" _Well, it seems we've missed a pokemon battle," Ryan said, giving the defeated trainer a sympathetic glance._

" _Ah what?! We missed it?!" Melissa groaned disappointingly. "Damn it!"_

 _Aaron kept his eyes on the rich trainer, who seemed to chuckle to herself while she waved the prize money around. This act disgusted the teen, who frowned at the girl during her small laugh. While he did this, Aaron could overhear some of the whispers that emerged from the crowd, speaking about the rich trainer and her pokemon._

" _Ah, there's nothing I like more than showing a loser who's boss!" The trainer taunted her defeated opponent in a mocking tone, furthering the girl's humiliation._

" _Man, that magmortar was tough!" A teen in the crowd exclaimed._

" _Of course it was," the victorious trainer said, enjoying the praise. "It was raised by some of the best breeders money could buy, and I deserve nothing less than the best."_

" _Geez, her family must be rich," Ryan whispered to his friends._

" _Hmph, spoiled brat." Aaron scoffed at at the trainer under his breath before turning around, motioning his friends to follow. "Let's go."_

 _The brunette and the blonde proceeded to follow Aaron when he tried to walk through the crowd. However, the trio came to an immediate stop when the rich trainer turned their way to yell at them, or more specifically, Aaron._

" _Hey! What did you call me?!" The trainer demanded._

 _Ryan and Melissa turned around to look at the wealthy girl once more, seeing the anger that was currently present on her face. It was quite obvious that she disliked being addressed in such a way. The crowd that surrounded her also stared at the trio, going silent once they heard her yell. Even the defeated trainer, who was in the crowd herself, turned around in surprise when she heard the sudden and angered yell._

" _Wow, she heard that over the crowd?" Melissa whispered. "That's some pretty good hearing she's got."_

 _Aaron stood in place, feeling all eyes from the crowd that was around him pierce his body. However, despite the stares he received from everyone, the teen proceeded to walk again, as if nothing happened to stop him in the first place._

" _Excuse me! I'm talking to you, asshole!" The rich trainer insulted in a louder voice, once again stopping Aaron in his tracks. This time however, Aaron's face clenched up in anger at the name she called him, feeling his irritation sky rocket just by thinking about. The several quiet but audible 'oooh's that came from the crowd didn't help either._

" _H-hey, let's just leave guys..." Melissa said to Aaron, practically feeling the anger that the curly haired teen gave off. The brunette wanted the trio to avoid the tension that filled the air, but she was unable to truly stop Aaron from refuting the trainer._

" _I said…" Aaron began in a low voice, slowly turning around to give the wealthy girl a fearsome glare. "You're a_ _ **spoiled brat**_ _."_

 _The rich trainer was visibly shocked by glare she received from the curly haired teen, along with slightly flinching when she heard the venom that covered the insult. However, she quickly recovered from this and proceeded to hold her ground, ignoring the 'oh's that came from the crowd again._

" _What do you mean by that?!" The wealthy girl demanded to know, seething at the insult._

" _Do I have to spell it out to you?" Aaron asked, not expecting her to answer. "You have a revolting attitude, you pay others to raise your pokemon when you should be doing it yourself, and worst of all, you wave money in your face while mocking your defeated opponents." He explained in a bitter tone. "You're calling me an asshole? Take a look in a mirror and see a real one for yourself."_

 _Melissa took a step forward towards the curly haired teen, wanting to stop him from escalating things any further. However, she was forced to stop when Ryan put his arm in front of her, effectively ceasing her movements. The blonde shook his head at Melissa, knowing that their efforts would only be in vain. Both teens knew that when Aaron was like this, there was little either of them could do to really stop him once he went off._

 _The rich trainer's frown grew wider, barring her teeth as she seethed at the teen in front of her. "Hmph, I doubt a moron such as yourself would understand my methods," she said before laughing in a mocking way. "Hell, you probably know nothing about pokemon or the battles they have either!"_

" _Tsk, I know more about pokemon battles than you'll ever learn in your entire life." Aaron growled._

" _Really? Then prove it!" The trainer exclaimed as she grabbed a poke-ball from her belt and threw it in the air. The red and white sphere quickly opened up and zapped a white energy onto the ground, which quickly began to take shape into a large four legged pokemon. Once the energy dissipated, the pokemon was shown to be a metagross, which stood in front of its master proudly, ready for battle. "Show me what you really know about pokemon battles!" The rich trainer yelled._

" _Hmm… a metagross…" Ryan whispered as he thought about the pokemon deeply. "A psychic and steel type pokemon. Should be vulnerable to fire, ground, dark and ghost type attacks." He relayed the information to Aaron, which was a force of habit to the blonde throughout their journey._

 _Aaron, listening to his friend's information, nodded before taking a hold of one of the poke-balls that was attached to his belt. Before he threw the sphere, the teen brought it close to his mouth and whispered to it, then tossed it into the air. Once it opened up and zapped the same white energy from before, a roserade appeared on the ground, staring at its opponent eagerly._

 _The rich trainer was dumbstruck by Aaron's choice of pokemon, and quickly laughed at the teen, amused by such a decision. "A-are you daft?! Or do you really know_ nothing _about pokemon battles?!" she laughed. "If you did, you'd know that a roserade doesn't stand a chance against a steel type pokemon, let alone a metagross!"_

 _The roserade gave the rich trainer a look of disgust as she continued to laugh, apparently finding Aaron's actions hilarious. The green pokemon glanced back at its master, who gave it a small nod before going back to giving the trainer a blank stare._

" _M-metagross! Take that thing out with a zen headbutt before I pass out from laughing!" The rich trainer chuckled out the command, trying to catch her breath._

 _Following the command issued from its master, the steel type pokemon began its charge at the roserade. The metal diagonal cross on the face of the metagross began to glow brightly in pink energy as it got closer to the green pokemon, who stood in the same place it was unleashed, undeterred from the charging pokemon. Once it got close enough, the metagross slammed the psychic attack onto the small pokemon. However, to the steel type pokemon and its trainer's confusion, the green pokemon wasn't affected by the attack. In fact, it was still standing in the same spot, unfazed by the attack that should have been devastating to it._

 _The rich trainer ceased her laughing, now greatly confused by the failed attack. "What the-? Come on metagross, stop joking around. Hit it harder this time!" She ordered loudly._

 _Taking several steps back, the metagross fused more energy into its cross again before ramming it into the roserade, this time with a lot more force. But just like the last attempt, the green pokemon didn't react to the psychic move, staring blankly at the steel pokemon in front of it._

" _How-? One attack should've put that roserade out of commission…" The rich trainer muttered. "What's going-?"_

" _Flamethrower." Aaron ordered blankly._

 _The roserade smile deviously at the steel type pokemon before opening its mouth. A flicker of an ember lit within before it spewed out of the green pokemon's mouth in a great stream of fire, engulfing the metagross within it. The steel pokemon reared back in pain as the super effective attack hit it at full force, taking several steps back to avoid any further damage._

" _What the-?!" The rich trainer gasped, flabbergasted by what transpired. "That's impossible! A roserade can't learn flamethrower!"_

" _Night slash." Aaron commanded the next attack in the same blank tone, ignoring his opponent's surprise._

 _The roserade kept its vicious grin as it charged at the injured metagross, making the rose on its arm glow brightly in dark energy. However, before the green pokemon could get too close to use the attack, the wealthy trainer quickly snapped out of astonishment to yell her next command._

" _Iron defense!" She barked._

 _The metagross quickly bucked in its legs and formed a white transparent energy that covered its entire body. Once the darked rose of the attacking pokemon slammed onto the steel pokemon's body, the damage from the attack was significantly decreased, saving the metagross from a certain knockout._

 _During this, the rich trainer noticed that the roserade was open to an attack, to which she quickly took the opportunity. "Now metagross! Use hammer arm!" she yelled._

 _Dissipating the white energy away, the metal pokemon quickly raised one of its legs and made it shine brightly for the next attack, preparing to strike down the opposing pokemon. But before it could bring it down, Aaron quickly barked out his next order to the roserade._

" _Get back!" he yelled._

 _Just as the steel leg was brought down, the roserade hopped back as quickly as it could, avoiding most of the attack. However, one of the green pokemon's legs was nicked during the dodge, which made the roserade hiss in pain before it touched the ground again. When it did, the roserade was enveloped within a black energy, covering its entire body. When it evaporated, Steven-Aaron's zoroark-appeared on the floor, glaring at the metagross. Some of the crowd watching the battle gasped out in surprise when the zoroark was revealed, astonished by the sight of a rare pokemon._

" _Hmph, a zoroark huh?" The rich trainer smiled at Aaron, now understanding why her previous attacks failed. "I gotta say, I'm a little impressed by your performance, but that trick won't work anymore. Metagross! Take it down with another hammer arm!" She ordered._

 _The steel type pokemon charged at the zoroark once more, making the same metal leg from before glow in the same white energy. Despite the super effective move that coming its way however, Steven stood in place, waiting for Aaron's next command._

" _Hold Steven," Aaron said calmly, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. "Hold…"_

 _The metagross got closer and closer to the dark type pokemon, lifting its leg to prepare for the final blow. Once the steel type pokemon got close enough however, Aaron quickly barked out the command he was waiting for._

" _Jump now!" he yelled._

 _Following the simple order, Steven quickly jumped into the air and right above the metagross, effectively dodging the knockout strike completely. During this, the dark type pokemon smiled devilishly, knowing what his trainer planned on doing._

" _Now! Use another night slash!" Aaron commanded._

 _The zoroark made its already dark arm glow in more dark energy, and quickly slammed the attack onto the vulnerable metagross. The steel type pokemon groaned lowly in pain before its legs gave out, making the large pokemon slump onto floor, unconscious and defeated._

 _The area was quickly covered in cheers that emerged from the crowd. Cries of astonishment and joy rang out as Aaron's pokemon defeated the metagross. Melissa and Ryan shouting were among the cheers, congratulating Aaron's and Steven's small victory. Even the trainer that was beaten before cried out happily, elated that her previous opponent was equally humiliated as her._

 _The zoroark back flipped towards its trainer, who affectionately pat the dark type pokemon's head. Meanwhile, the unconscious metagross got zapped by red energy, quickly getting returned towards its poke-ball. The rich trainer was noticeably angry, for she was seen seething at Aaron for beating her._

" _That's it," she whispered in a dark and cold voice once the audience's yells died down. "I've had it up to_ here _with your crap! I'm going to beat you, right here, right now!"_

 _The redhead was quick to grab the second poke-ball that was attached to her belt, preparing to toss it into the air. But before either teen could really do anything, a sharp and angered yell called out through the crowd, making both of them freeze in place._

" _WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" A slightly overweight man bellowed out to the two trainers, coming through the crowd while being flanked by two security guards. "Why are you runts battling_ inside _my mall?!" He demanded to know, fuming with rage. "Pokemon battles are completely banned indoors!"_

 _While Aaron did freeze up during the shouting the owner barked out, he quickly regained his composure to answer the man. "I apologize sir, I wasn't aware that pokemon battles were restricted to being outside," he said calmly. "We'll finish out there, we didn't mean to cause anyone any trouble."_

 _The owner of the mall stared at the teen for couple seconds, slowly absorbing his words. Once he did, he let out a long sigh as he calmed himself down. "Very well, take your battle outside and there won't be any consequences," he said. "But I don't want anymore battles inside my mall! This place is not exactly built for those kinds of fights."_

 _Aaron gave the man a small nod, then motion his pokemon to follow him as he led the way towards the exit. Melissa and Ryan also followed the teen, wanting to see the end of the battle. However, the rich trainer remained in her spot, still seething in the rage she had for Aaron._

" _No," she said coldly, glaring at the curly haired teen. "You're not going anywhere." She tossed the poke-ball she was holding onto in the air, which quickly released her magmortar. The fire type pokemon stood proudly once more, staring at the zoroark in front of it._

 _The owner of the mall went right back to glaring at the redhead, displeased with her decision. "Didn't you hear me?! I said no-!"_

" _SHUT UP!" The trainer exclaimed in anger, cutting the owner off. "I said I'm ending this, right here,_ _ **right now! Take this pathetic whelp down with a fire blast!**_ _" she screamed out the commanded._

 _Following the enraged command, the magmortar aimed one of its arm cannons at the dark type pokemon, readying a large flame within the barrel of the cannon. Once it shot out, the flame transformed into a unique shape in the middle of its flight as it flew towards the zoroark._

 _Aaron, acting as quickly as he could, grabbed the vacant poke-ball on his belt and used it to return Steven back into safety. This did nothing to stop the attack however, as the large shape of fire stayed on its course, now coming towards Aaron. The crowd panicked and fled away from the target area as Aaron somersaulted away from the attack at the last second, narrowly dodging the flame._

 _The fire blast kept flying though the air until it eventually rammed itself through several large plants. The green leaves were instantly sent ablaze and began to crackle as the flames burned them. The wood of the plants cracked from the flames and launched multiple embers that hit more flammable objects. The fire blast was still moving as well, until it finally hit a banner attached to a wall. The fire consumed the banner as it ran up along it, soon reaching the top of the second floor and spreading onto more plants that were nearby._

 _Witnessing the fire domino effect spread fast, the owner of the mall ran towards the nearest fire alarm switch and pulled down the lever, instantly activating the alarms all over the mall. Immediately, the people within the mall panicked as they hurried towards the front entrance, exiting the now blazing mall. The rich trainer stared at the fire in horror, shocked that it spread through the mall so quickly. It wasn't until several people bumped into her accidentally did she come to her senses and returned her magmortar before running towards the entrance, following everyone else outside._

 _Aaron, Melissa and Ryan were some of the first to exit the burning mall. The trio watched in horror as the fire consumed more of the mall and saw hundreds of people flood out of the front doors, trying to get away from the flames. The mall was now a deadly inferno, capable of greatly harming anyone who was unfortunate to be stuck within it._

* * *

 _Uncounted minutes flew by as Viola sat on the deactivated water fountain, waiting for her father to arrive. The queen to be despised waiting like this, because seconds felt like minutes to her, and minutes felt like entire hours. Viola just wanted her father to show up so they could get this meeting over with._

 _The third floor was mostly vacant now; all of the shops were closed and the people that were there went to the lower levels to view a pokemon battle of some kind. Once more, Viola couldn't bring herself to care for such activities, and even if she did, her father wouldn't allow it, saying it would be a 'waste of time'._

 _After another minute passed by, the violet haired teen could smell something rather unpleasant. It didn't take her long to realize that the smell was smoke, which snapped Viola out of her bored trance instantly. Once she heard screams come from the lower floors and the alarms began to go off, she instantly knew that there was fire somewhere, and that it was spreading quickly throughout the mall._

 _The violet haired teen was quick to get up from her spot and dash towards the escalators, which were deactivated due to the state of emergency the mall was in. She climbed down the still stairs as fast as her legs could carry her to the second floor, which was just as empty as the level above. The queen to be could now see the large amounts of flames that consumed the mall, which moved through the complex at a rapid rate. Viola could see dozens, if not hundreds of people run towards the front entrance, which meant that was her way out as well._

 _Once more, Viola began her dash towards the next pair of offline escalators, running through some of the flames along the way. It was getting more difficult to breathe as she ran, for smoke began to fill the air. As she dashed through the small blazing walkway, and electrical explosion went off above her, causing several large chunks of metal to start falling over her._

 _To the best of her ability, Viola tried to dodge as much of the heated debris as she could, but there was too much for her to handle. So to keep herself from getting crushed to death, Viola made her violet eyes glow brightly with psychic energy, which covered some of the falling debris. While it did slow some of the falling metal down, it couldn't stop all of it, nor could it truly stop it altogether, since Viola was still learning how to control her powers._

 _Having no choice, the violet haired teen released the debris from her weak psychic grip and attempted to dodge the descending metal by somersaulting. While she was able to get away from getting crushed by some of the larger pieces of debris, Viola couldn't dodge it all as some of the thinner pieces managed to fall on her. The teen cried out in pain as she pinned underneath the heavy debris, struggling to break free from it. More and more metal continued to fall around her, effectively trapping the queen to be even more. Viola knew she had to break free, because if she couldn't do it in time, she would die horribly in this fire. So the violet haired teen did the one thing she never thought she would do; scream for assistance._

" _H-help! S-somebody…!" Viola yelled as loud as she could. "I-I can't move! Please…! Someone…! Anyone…!"_

 _Although the teen didn't know, a woman who was just about to escape heard her pleas of terror. However, knowing that she couldn't help the trapped teen alone, the woman continued to run outside to find someone that would be capable of saving Viola._

* * *

 _The trio continued to watch in terror as the last number of people raced out from the blazing inferno that was the mall. The large flames that flickered through the building lit up the night sky as endless smoke poured from the open ceiling. Roaring sirens could heard in the distance, getting closer by every second._

 _The three teens had no idea how long it would take for the firefighters to put out the flames when they arrived, the only thing they could do was watch flaming building continue to burn. Aaron specifically felt extreme amounts of guilt consume him as he witnessed the fire, knowing that he was partially responsible for it. While he knew that he didn't cause the fire directly, the teen did know that he provoked someone to accidentally do it, meaning that this was partially his fault as well._

" _Help! Somebody help!" A woman's cries caught the group's attention as she ran out of the inferno. "Someone's trapped on the second floor! They need help!" She continued._

" _W-what?!" Aaron gasped out. The thought of accidentally burning a building down was bad enough, but the thought of_ killing _an innocent life tore the teen apart. Knowing what he had to do, Aaron prepare to dashed back into the fiery mall. Ryan however stopped him by grabbing his arm before he could run towards it._

" _Wait Aaron!" The blonde exclaimed. "You could die if you run back there! The firefighters are almost here, they can save that trapped person!"_

" _They might not make it in time!" Aaron yelled back, breaking away from the blonde's grip. "That person will die in there if I don't help! I refuse to be responsible for the death of an innocent civilian!" With that said, the teen charged straight towards the mall, intent on saving the trapped soul from a burning fate._

" _Aaron, wait! Stop!" Melissa cried out as she and Ryan ran after him, trying to keep him from danger. They couldn't stop the teen however, because once Aaron ran through the blazing front entrance, large pieces of metallic debris fell in front of the doors, keeping the two teens outside and trapping Aaron within._

" _No!" Ryan cried out as he tried to remove the large pieces of metal, only to retract his hands in pain as the heated debris burned him. "G-gah! Damn it!" He gasped._

 _Inside of burning mall, Aaron scanned through the fires consuming the complex, trying to find the trapped soul as quickly as he could. Remembering the woman's words, the teen checked the walkways of the second floor, trying to see if the person was located there._

" _Hello?! Can anyone here me?!" Aaron yelled out as loud as he could before coughing, due to the smoke filling his lungs. The teen's only been inside for a couple seconds and it was already getting harder to breathe. He had to find the trapped victim fast, or else both would die in the deadly flames._

" _U-up here…!" A weak voice called out from the second floor, immediately alerting Aaron of their presence. Quickly looking towards the area the voice came from, the teen could see the figure of a person pinned underneath several pieces of debris, completely trapped._

" _I'll be right there!" Aaron called out to the person as he ran towards the deactivated escalators, quickly climbing up the still stairs and dashing at the metal that surrounded the person. The teen jumped over and onto several pieces of the large debris to get to the poor soul, eventually reaching them._

 _Aaron couldn't make out who exactly was pinned under the metal, due to the cloak that covered their head and shoulders. The weak cry they gave out sounded feminine, so they were probably female, but the teen had to push away these thoughts and focus on getting them out of the inferno. Aaron attempted to move the pieces of metal, but quickly pulled his hands away, getting burned just like his blonde friend did. Knowing they were running out of time, Aaron quickly formulated a plan and grabbed a poke-ball from his belt, unleashing one of pokemon, a lapras._

" _Megan, quickly! Hydro pump this metal off of her!" Aaron commanded quickly._

 _The water pokemon, while shocked by what was happening to the mall, regained focus and shot out large torrents of water from its mouth. The stream a water smashed and sizzled against the heated debris, creating steam as it was slowly pushed away. Once it was completely off of the girl, the hydro pump ceased. Aaron quickly thanked the blue pokemon before returning it back into its poke-ball, then approached the injured teen._

" _Here, I gotcha," he said as he lifted her off the ground, carrying her bridal style. The female teen flinched when he touched her, making Aaron assume that she was in a great deal of pain. But now that she was free, Aaron had to find them an exit. He glanced at the front entrance he charged through, seeing the debris that blocked the path. Even the escalators he climbed up had more metal fall on top of them, blocking yet another path._

 _The curly haired teen growled under his breath, seeing that he had very few options left. Without thinking, Aaron ran through the small walkway as he carried the girl in his arms, trying to find or create an exit for them. The teen had to run over multiple pieces of metal along the way, and even had to dodge several pieces that fell over them._

 _Eventually, the duo came across a large window that had a great view of the city streets below. Knowing this was most likely their one ticket out of the mall, Aaron gently set the girl down before grabbing another poke-ball from his belt. Once he released the pokemon from within the red and white sphere, a mismagius floated in the air, shocked by the fires that were destroying the building._

" _Grace, use psychic to break this window!" Aaron ordered. "Do it as fast as you can!"_

 _The ghost pokemon nodded at the teen before it began to focus on the window in front of it. The pokemon's eyes slowly began to glow, and the glass itself was covered in transparent energy that violently shook it. It wasn't long until the window shattered into a hundred pieces, finally giving Aaron an exit. Just like before, the teen thanked the pokemon and returned it back into its poke-ball. Once he did, he took another red white sphere from his belt and released his next pokemon, a braviary._

" _George, let her ride on your back while you carry me with your claws!" Aaron ordered the flying type pokemon. "Take us down towards the streets below, okay?!"_

 _The red, white and blue pokemon cried out in acceptance before lowering its body, making it easier for the female teen to get on. Aaron lifted the injured girl once more and placed her on the back of his pokemon, letting her ride it. When she was settled, George began to flap his wings, which slowly brought him into the air. Once they were airborne, Aaron held out his arms, allowing the braviary to carefully pick him up with its large talons. With that accomplished, the flying type pokemon flew out of the window and into the flesh air outside of the mall, finally allowing Aaron and the injured girl to breathe normally again._

 _The braviary took the two teens down to the streets near the burning mall, bringing them to safety. Once Aaron's feet touch the ground, George released the teen's arms from his grip, allowing him to collapse and cough for air, clearing out his lungs. The teen Aaron saved also coughed when the flying type pokemon landed, finally getting the fresh air she needed. The braviary gently let the girl off before approaching his master, seeing if he was alright. After a several seconds of coughing, Aaron let out a small but audible chuckle as he slowly got back up on his feet._

" _What… would I do without you guys…?" he said with a small grin, petting his pokemon affectionately. "I can't thank you enough."_

 _The red, white and blue pokemon cried out again, this time in a happy tone. Both were relieved that they're finally out of the deadly inferno, and it wasn't long until Aaron stopped petting his pokemon to turn his attention to the person he saved._

" _And are you… al… right…?" Aaron led off as he stared off in the direction that girl was standing, only to find that no one was there. The teen glanced around their surroundings, trying to find where the girl went off to. "Did you see her run off?" Aaron asked his pokemon, making him shake his head in denial. "No? Then where did she-?"_

" _Aaron!" Melissa called out to the teen as she and Ryan ran towards him. Aaron's thoughts on the girl were knocked out of his head when Melissa crashed into him, bringing them into a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're safe! We thought you were a goner!" The brunette exclaimed._

" _Yeah, no kidding." Ryan agreed. "You have any idea how much you scared us back there?"_

" _Heh heh, sorry about that." Aaron apologized, giving the blonde a small grin while returning the hug Melissa gave him. "So you guys saw George carry me out of there?" the teen asked._

" _Yeah, along with who ever you saved from that mess," Melissa said. "By the way, where are they? I thought they would be here with you."_

" _I have no idea." Aaron answered, confused as to where the person ran off to. "She was standing right here a second ago before she just vanished."_

" _Oh? They left?" Ryan quipped with a small smile. "That's too bad, I really wanted to_ ash _some questions to see if she was alright."_

 _Aaron gave the blonde a blank stare, already knowing how this was going to turn out. Meanwhile, Melissa turned her head in Ryan's direction to give him a deadly glare, one the blonde was all too familiar with._

" _Geez Melissa, why the long face?" Ryan asked, his grin getting wider. "You should really_ lighten up _. Heh, I'm only_ warming _up with these puns, you know."_

 _Melissa broke away from the embrace she shared with Aaron and took a step forward, cracking her knuckles together in anger. "You have five seconds to run before I destroy you." She warned._

 _The smile on Ryan's face only got bigger as he stepped back, knowing the brunette intended to beat him down. "Huh, guess I'm_ toast _." He quipped before turning around and sprinting away as fast as he could, trying to get away from the wrath of Melissa as she charged after him, screaming out a terrifying battle cry while she did._

 _Aaron once again shook his head at the antics of his close friends, returning George back into his poke-ball while he did. Before he followed the duo back towards the front of the mall, Aaron glanced back to see where the girl he saved went off to. His efforts were in vain however, since there wasn't a trace of her to be found. Sighing, Aaron gave up and walked to the large crowd in front of the mall, who watched as firefighters battled with the large flames that consumed the complex. The teen knew he had to admit to fire starting, and that he would have to take the consequences for this._

* * *

 _Viola ran as fast as her injured legs could carry her away from the trainer that saved her when his attention was elsewhere. The violet haired teen was barely able to get into a nearby alley and out of his line of sight when he turned around. The trainer looked for her of course, but was stopped when two more people-who Viola assumed were his friends-ran towards him and grabbed his attention once more. It wasn't long until the trio made their way back towards the front entrance, joining with the rest of the people located there. When they were truly away, Viola sighed in relief as she thought about the teen that saved her._

 _That trainer was undoubtedly brave for charging into the flames without hesitation, not to mention he was the_ only _one to come after her when she needed to be saved. Not only that, but the trainer was also quick to think up effective plans to get them out of that inferno. In a situation like that, a lot of people would crack under that type of pressure, so the queen to be was impressed that the teen was able to keep his cool._

 _But the one thing that really grabbed Viola's attention was his power. The trainer had extreme amounts of untapped aura within his system, and that aura was insanely powerful, more so than her's. The queen to be could feel the teen's aura just by touching him; she knew that he could be a force to be reckoned with if he knew how to use it._

"He was also… cute…' _Viola thought, blushing lightly. The violet haired teen wasn't one to really care for looks or men, since she had bigger things to worry about in her daily life. Most of the handsome men that flirted with her were all sent away, since she considered them all to be too weak for her. But the teen that saved her from certain death was not only powerful, he was also, admittedly, cute to Viola._

 _These thoughts were interrupted however, when the violet haired teen's xtransceiver began to go off, indicating someone was trying to contact her. Already knowing who it was, Viola was quick to answer it without bothering to read the name, making a hooded figure appear on the small screen._

" _What happened?" the figure asked in a low, gruff voice._

" _A fire started on the lower levels of the mall and spread quickly to the other floors." Viola answered. "I guess you can consider yourself lucky that you were late, father. Otherwise, you'd have to go through the same mess everyone else had to deal with."_

" _I see," her father said. "Were you hurt?"_

" _Well… I got trapped underneath some debris that fell on me," Viola responded. "I would've died in that fire if some guy didn't save me."_

"' _Some guy'?" Her father questioned, seemingly unaffected by the news of his daughter almost dying. "Who was he?"_

" _I… don't know…" The violet haired teen admitted. "He seems like any other pokemon trainer… except…"_

" _Except?" Her father said as she led off._

" _Well… he has a_ lot _of untapped aura in his system, and his aura is pretty powerful too." Viola finally answered. "I felt his power when he touched me."_

" _Really? Interesting…" Her father led off. "Do you have anything else on him?"_

" _He's the only one that bothered to come into mall to save me, so he must be pretty brave to do so," Viola said._

" _Or suicidal." Her father commented, making the teen roll her eyes._

" _Also, he was able to formulate quick and effective plans to get us away from the flames without cracking under the pressure, meaning he's pretty level headed as well." Viola continued._

" _Hmm. Anything else?"_

" _No," Viola said rather quickly._

" _Are you sure?"_

" _Yes, father."_

" _Very well, I'm canceling our meeting today for obvious reasons. We will meet up in a couple days, I have several things to care of beforehand," her father said. "In the meantime, follow this trainer and observe him, see if he is really as powerful as you say. That type of person would be a great asset to have when you become queen of this world."_

" _Yes, father." Viola obeyed the command before he cut off the transmission. The violet haired teen peered around the corner of the alley, getting a glance of the back of the trainer that saved her. Seeing that she had a good distance between them, Viola followed after him, making sure to keep as quiet as possible._

 _The teen would learn more about this trainer._

* * *

 **Present**

"That fire could've killed me if you didn't save me in time," Viola said. "Ever since that day, I've learned more and more about you, Aaron. I've learned how brave, loyal, smart and… cute you are~." The Bellator queen inched herself closer to the bound commander. "It didn't take long for me to fall for you, my love."

The memories of the blazing mall rushed through Aaron's head, making him remember how difficult it was to breathe, along with how scared he was. Not for himself, but for the person (who apparently was Viola) whose life was in danger because _him_. Such thoughts saddened the teen as he put his head down in shame.

"It was my fault…" he whispered softly.

"Hmm?" Viola hummed, not hearing his words clearly.

"The fire, it started because of me…" Aaron admitted.

"What do you mean?" the queen asked, cocking her head in confusion.

Aaron kept his head down as he explained what truly transpired. "That night, I was very… tired. And when I'm tired, I tend to have a _very_ bitter attitude. While I was in the mall, a trainer who was acting incredibly snotty towards other people annoyed me, and I insulted her for it. That of course angered her, and we had a pokemon battle soon afterward. I beat her, and the trainer's anger skyrocketed from this. She tried to take down my pokemon, and probably to an extent, me, with a large fire blast. But the attacked missed and hit a couple flammable objects. The fire then spread throughout the mall, which is why the building went aflame."

"So that's how it started?" Viola whispered, listening to the teen's words.

Aaron gave the queen a small nod before continuing. "Although I wasn't one who truly caused the fire, I still provoked someone to accidentally cause it," he said in a sad tone. "Maybe if I just kept my mouth shut…"

"Hey now, there's no need to act like that." Viola reassured the commander, giving him a loving smile. "Nobody died in the fire, and you saved my life because of it, which in turn cause me to meet and fall in love with you~. Everything worked out in the end darling, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

Aaron remained silent as he absorbed the queen's caring words. It was incredibly odd to him, the person who captured him, brought terrible pain onto his friends and did… _things_ … to him was trying to comfort him. Although he wouldn't vocally admit it, he liked the words Viola said to him, especially in the tone she said them in. Her voice felt so soothing to the commander's ears, along with her facial features being heaven to his eyes. He couldn't help but stare into her beautiful violet orbs.

" _N-no… no no no.'_ Aaron growled in his mind as he closed his eyes, angered with himself. _"You shouldn't look at her like that, you shouldn't_ think _of her like that. She's putting false feelings in your mind while trying to wash away the true feelings you already have! Viola's not the one I truly love, definitely not.'_

"Ah… all this talk about falling in love with you is making me impatient," Viola said to the bound teen. "I just want our wedding day to arrive so we can finally get married."

Aaron opened his eyes, wanting to ask the queen one more question he had on his mind. "You… keep talking about a wedding," he said. "And it's suppose to be on a certain day… What day is it? And why wait to marry me until then?"

"Aw~, you're getting impatient too~?" Viola cooed, making Aaron frown a little. "Well, if you must know why we're waiting, I'll tell you. Our wedding is this Friday, and it'll take some time to get all the preparations ready, along with purifying you."

"Friday…?" Aaron whispered to himself. "Today's…"

"Tuesday, sweetheart." The queen answered for him, making him blink in surprise.

"So… that means…?" Aaron whispered in fear.

"Yep." Viola confirmed. "Just three more days until we're happily married!"


	22. Chapter 22

"T-three…?!" Aaron gasped out at the number, shocked that the event would be so soon.

"Yes love." Viola confirmed once more. "It won't be long until we're standing under the altar, finally getting the marriage we deserve. Aren't you excited?"

The Bellator queen gazed deeply into the bound commander's brown orbs, seeing the fear that covered them. However, upon closer inspection, Viola could trace small but noticeable trails of excitement race through them. The find elated the queen, making her small grin increase in length.

" _The infusions are starting to work.'_ She thought. _"And with how he was looking at me earlier, they must be incredibly effective. It won't take much more to fully purify him; perfect…'_

Several knocks that sounded off from the door echoed within the small room, quickly getting the two teens attention. Viola got up from her spot on Aaron's bound lap and opened the metal door, seeing a maid standing on the other side with a cart filled with various breakfast items.

"Your majesty." The maid bowed slightly in Viola's presence. "Your breakfast, as you requested."

The Bellator queen moved aside and opened the door even wider, allowing the woman to pull in the cart into the room. Once she had it placed in front of Aaron, the maid quietly bowed once more to Viola before quickly taking her leave, exiting the room and leaving the two teens alone again.

"Hungry, my love?" Viola questioned the bound commander. "I made sure to have some great options for you to eat~."

The queen took a seat on Aaron's lap again, this time draping her legs over on his right side. Pulling the cart closer to them and grabbing a fork that was placed on it, Viola proceeded to use the utensil to get a small portion of eggs and brought it to her mouth, test tasting it. When the flavor pleased her taste buds, the queen took another portion of the food then brought it over to Aaron, wanting to feed him.

"Go on sweetheart." Viola cooed. "It's delicious."

Aaron eyed the eggs in front of him as his hunger ran out through him. Not wanting to repeat the futile actions from yesterday, the bound teen opened his mouth slightly, allowing Viola to feed him. As he quietly chewed on his food, the commander couldn't help but silently agree that the eggs _were_ great.

Just like the night before, the two teens sat in silence as Viola fed Aaron the food from the kart, which held the typical items of a breakfast, ranging from eggs and bacon, to two glasses of orange juice. They ate quietly, finishing most of it within a few minutes. The only things that remained were small pieces of bitten french toast and two empty glasses.

Casting the fork onto the kart and pushing it away, Viola quickly repositioned herself on Aaron, straddling him once more. This of course made the bounded teen feel great unease, for he remembered in vivid detail what she did to him the day before. The commander struggled-albeit lightly since he was handcuffed-trying to get as "far away" from the queen as possible.

"Relax darling," Viola whispered, feeling his vain struggle. "I know you're excited for a little more play time~, but I'm not in the mood. For _now_ anyways…"

That was a lie, the Bellator queen _really_ wanted to do a great amount of lewd things to the bound teen, especially now, due to her sitting on top of him. However, she kept herself restrained, for Viola knew that she might go overboard and accidentally make love to him, something that the queen wanted to be preserved until the night of her wedding.

Truth be told, the Bellator queen didn't _have_ to wait for the wedding night to have sex with him. One of the reasons why she was waiting was because it would make the final infusion far more easier to use, along with being a lot more powerful as well. If wasn't for that, Viola would take him at this very moment.

" _Well... that, and it would be far more beautiful to do it then.'_ She thought. _"Is there anything more romantic than two virgin lovers setting themselves loose on the night of their wedding?'_

Viola brought up one of her forefingers and covered it in the same pink energy she used before. Aaron's eyes widened at the sight of it, but there was nothing he could do to stop the queen from pressing the digit against his head. The energy pulsed upon contact, spreading throughout the commander's body. However, unlike the previous times the queen used the infusion on him, Aaron didn't black out instantly, instead he felt as power took over and changed his very feelings. Any hatred the teen had left was washed away completely, leaving only fear in its absence. The only thing keeping Aaron from forcibly loving Viola was his heavy fear of her.

"Alright," Viola sighed out sadly. "I need to go and watch over the preparations for the wedding. But… before I go…"

The Bellator queen cocked her head slightly and pressed her lips against Aaron's, bringing the two teens into another kiss. Viola wrapped her arms around the commander's neck to deepen the liplock, trying to go as deep as she could to intensify it. Aaron did nothing as she kissed him; he couldn't bring up the willpower to try and break away from it. It was at this moment did he truly understand the power of the infusions.

After a few more seconds, Viola finally broke away from the kiss to catch a breath, leaving a trail of saliva in her wake. She gave Aaron a small and loving toothy grin before she got up from her spot on his lap. Viola took a hold of the kart and brought it with her as she opened the metal door, preparing to leave.

"Ciao for now, _my love~_ ," she whispered as she left the small room, closing and locking the door behind her.

Aaron sat in silence, pulsing in confusion as he tried to muster up any hate for the Bellator queen. Unfortunately for the teen, not a single bit of rage surfaced in his vain attempt. The only feeling he had for Viola was fear, which made his hands shake against their bindings as this feeling was brought up.

"D-damn her…" Aaron choked out. "Damn her for doing this to me…!"

* * *

 _Melissa was running as fast as her legs could carry her, sprinting through a darkened complex. Her surroundings were believed to be made of marble, and everything around the brunette was incredibly darkened to the point that they looked like shadows. Melissa paid no mind to this however as she kept running frantically to her destination, having a tight grip on her double blade as she did._

 _When the brunette finally arrived, her worst fears came into fruition. Before her was a fallen Sophia, holding Aaron's saber in a defensive position. The sword shook violently in her grip, showing off the ex-roserade's enormous fear. Standing above her was a pitch black figure, one Melissa could barely make out. The silhouette held a large claymore above their head, allowing the brunette to see the jagged pieces that ran along the blade. It was obvious that the figure was going to kill the ex-roserade with the weapon, a thought that horrified Melissa to her core. So in the loudest voice she could possibly muster, the brunette yelled at the figure, doing anything she could to stop the killing blow._

" _ **-! STOP!**_ _"_

Melissa shot up from her laying position on the couch, panting wildly after a shocked yelp. A thin layer of cold sweat covered her body as she gasped for air, horrified by the nightmare that plagued her mind. The brunette was quick to check her surroundings, and felt relief wash over her when she realized she was still in Aaron's house.

Melissa wiped away some of the cold sweat covering her forehead, letting out a large and tired sigh in the process. The brunette recollected some of the images from her nightmare, each one sending shivers down her spine. The images looked so real and life-like. It was like she was there, and it was actually happening.

" _Wait a minute…'_ Melissa thought. _"I had a dream like this before, and it was incredibly life-like too. Not to mention that similar events happened not too long afterward…'_

Recalling the nightmares she had in the previous weeks, Melissa could remember seeing a dark figure holding a knocked out Aaron, laughing devilishly while standing above the beaten forms of Sophia and Caroline. Connecting the nightmare with the battle that took place in the city, it didn't take long for Melissa to realize that the darkened figure was the Team Bellator leader.

" _Wait… so that dream from before was a… vision…?'_ The thought greatly intrigued the brunette. _"And this new nightmare I had felt so real… Could this be another one?'_ Melissa felt a small bit of fear wash over her at the thought, knowing that this could spell a disaster for the group. _"If that's the case, then who was the figure I saw? And why am I having these visions?!'_

"Are you alight?" A sudden voice called out, making Melissa jump in her seat slightly. The brunette was quick to whip her head towards the voice, seeing Caroline standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

"O-oh… it's just you..." Melissa breathed out a sigh of relief. "You scared me a little."

"Apologies," the ginger said. "I heard you gasp a couple seconds ago and wanted to check up on you. You okay?"

"Well… thanks," Melissa whispered. "As for your initial question, I've been better. I just had this crazy nightmare."

"Another nightmare?" Caroline questioned. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I… guess that's for the best." Melissa accepted, scooting over to make room for the ginger to sit down. Following the gesture, Caroline took the seat as she looked at the shaken brunette, wanting to see if she could help her.

"So, what was your nightmare about this time?" the ginger asked.

"To be honest, I don't remember much from it." Melissa admitted. "But what I do remember is that I running in some… place. It was incredibly dark, so it was difficult to make out where I was."

"Was the setting night time?" Caroline questioned.

"I think…?" The brunette shrugged unknowingly. "Anyways, I stopped running when I saw someone standing over Sophia. She was on the ground and looked so… terrified. The figure above her was holding a large sword over their head and was about to strike her down…"

"Do you remember what the figure looked like?"

"No, the body was pitch black, the only thing I could make it was the sword." Melissa answered. "Anyway, once I got close enough, I screamed at them to stop. After that, I woke up."

Caroline placed a hand on one of the brunette's shoulders, trying to comfort her. "I'm sorry you had to see something like that. But hey, it was just a dream, it's nothing to be really worried about."

"That's not all though," Melissa said. "This nightmare, it felt so… real, like I was actually there. And… and…"

"What is it?" Caroline asked.

"This… this isn't the first time I had a dream like this." The brunette's eyes were glued onto her feet as she continued. "The other nightmare I had before was just as life-like as this one."

"Really? Then what was your first nightmare about?" Caroline asked, getting more intrigued by Melissa's experience.

"It…" Melissa began slowly, already recalling the disturbing scenes from before. "What I saw was you and Sophia, beaten and battered on the ground. There was a figure standing over you two, holding onto Aaron's unconscious body while laughing like a maniac..."

The ginger's eyes widened at the information. "Wait, but that-"

"I know, similar events occurred after I had it." Melissa interrupted. "I don't think these are just nightmares Carol, I think they're-"

"Visions." Caroline finished for her, earning a small nod from Melissa.

"When it happened last time, I thought it was just my fear getting the best of me." The brunette continued. "But now, not only did that nightmare come true, but having another one _right_ when we're about to save Aaron really concerns me."

Caroline remained silent as she went into deep thought, troubled by Melissa's words. This was the first time the ginger has ever heard about someone having a vision, which she had thought was impossible for anyone that's not a psychic. But now, since Melissa was experiencing life-like nightmares that relay the future, it put heavy concern on Caroline.

"Carol, what should we do?" Melissa asked. "I-if this nightmare is really another vision…"

"Don't worry," Caroline said in a reassuring voice. "From what I can tell, this vision was centered around Sophia, meaning she's the primary target. I'll watch over her during the rescue; I'll keep her safe, okay?"

Melissa looked at the ginger once more, giving her a small grin. "O-okay… thank you," she whispered.

"Of course." Caroline smiled back.

"Speaking about the strike…" Melissa led on. "What's the plan?"

"Right, the plan…" Caroline whispered out as she took a hold of the dark stone that was attached to her belt, giving it to Melissa afterwards. The brunette saw that the gem was made into a makeshift necklace out of string, making the stone a pendant. "You and Sophia will wear the dark stones she found. With these, you two should be invulnerable to most of the Bellator leader's psychic attacks." Caroline continued. "Hopefully…"

Melissa was quick to put the necklace on, feeling the dark power the gem gave off. She disliked the energy, and felt something get sapped from her in the process. She couldn't explain what it was, all she knew was that she felt slightly weaker because of the stone.

"What about the rest of you guys?" the brunette asked.

"We'll try to provide as much support as we can," Caroline said. "There's no doubt that we'll be running into enemy territory, and a lot of tough baddies standing between us and Aaron. Mac, Leo and Beth will provide a distraction with the forces we have, while You, Sophia and I track down Aaron. Once we have him, we'll meet up with the others and converge on the knights and their leader."

"I see," Melissa said as the plan was laid out to her. "Do you know where they are?"

"I can sense Aaron's aura due north of here, and it isn't too far off, meaning they're not far from the city either." Caroline relayed the information.

"North of here? So they're in the desert?" Melissa questioned.

"Most likely," Caroline responded with a small nod. "It could be where their base is, so that's where we're heading."

"Okay, so when are we heading out?" Melissa asked.

"Soon, we're waiting on you and Sophia," Caroline said.

"Alright then," the brunette said as she rose up from her seat with a small groan, stretching out her arms in the process. "I'll go wake her up, be right back."

Caroline gave her a nod before getting up herself and leaving back into the kitchen. Melissa walked slowly to the master bedroom, opening the door and peering inside. The brunette had her sights on the ex-roserade, who was sleeping underneath the blankets of the bed. As Melissa approached her, she could see that Sophia was frowning in her sleep, something that disturbed the brunette greatly. Whenever Melissa saw Sophia sleep, she usually had a small smile on her face, showing how happy she was. Now that smile was gone, and is now replaced with a sad frown.

" _All of this must be taking a toll on her.'_ Melissa thought sadly. _"Poor thing.'_

The brunette gently placed a hand on the ex-roserade's shoulder, shaking her lightly to awaken her. "Hey, Sophia…" Melissa whispered closely. "Come on sleepy head, you gotta get up…"

Sophia stirred softly as her red orbs opened up slowly. The ex-roserade rubbed the tired eyes as she raised her upper body, feeling incredibly groggy from the small amounts of sleep she received from the night before.

"Don't call me sleepy head…" Sophia moaned out, glancing lazily at Melissa. When she did, the ex-roserade was quick to notice the dark gem that hanged from her neck. "You're wearing the gem…?"

"Hmm? Oh, right! This thing," Melissa said as she peered down at the black stone. "Carol gave it to me, and I assume she has one for you too."

Sophia gave her a small nod as she reached out to her combat boots, slowly putting them on before reaching out to her armor she took off the night before. Thankfully, the auroran armor was adaptable to most clothing, so Sophia was able to incorporate it with her roserade outfit. Once she had on the pieces of metal, the white haired girl put on her green mask and was about to reach out to her golden necklace, but she stopped herself when she saw the dark gem was next to it. When Sophia raised the necklace, the dark gem followed, attached to it and acting as a new pendant for the piece of gold.

"Oh, she put the gem on the necklace you already have," Melissa said. "That makes sense, I suppose."

Sophia nodded again before she put the necklace on, feeling the dark energy the gem gave off once more. The ex-roserade grabbed her katana along with Aaron's saber and sheathed them on her hips. Once she finished, Sophia followed Melissa out of the bedroom, walking into the kitchen soon afterward. There, they met up with Caroline, who was leaning against a counter, waiting for the two girls to arrive.

"Here, eat and drink these." The ginger offered the duo two pretzel sticks and cups of water she was holding on to. "I know it's not much, but you'll need something in your stomachs."

Sophia and Melissa were quick to eat their meager breakfast, downing them in a few seconds. After they finished, the two girls followed Caroline outside of the house, where they saw the rest of the group waiting. The morning sky illuminated the air, getting rid of the rainy clouds of yesterday. It was a welcome change to the duo, who prefered the bright sky instead of a gloomy one.

"Any activity in the city?" Caroline questioned the group.

"Negative ma'am." One of the soldiers answered. "It's been clear for the whole night."

"Let's hope that it stays that way for the time being," Leo said. "We moving out?"

Caroline gave the captain a nod. "I think it's about time to save Aaron, wouldn't you guys agree?"

"Yes ma'am!" The group confirmed, giving the ginger multiple salutes.

"Good," Caroline said as she walked forward with Melissa and Sophia flanking her. "To the north."

The group followed the ginger back into the city, seeing several Aurora soldiers stationed in various parts of it, each watching for any sign of the enemy. The company kept moving north and through the section of the city that was once held by Team Bellator, seeing the damage they left over. After several minutes, the group finally arrived at the gateway that connected the city to the desert. Like most of the city, the gateway was vacant of life, and had received light damage as well..

"It's not right, not seeing anyone walk through this…" Beth spoke softly.

"What happened to all of the civilians anyway?" Melissa asked in a worried tone. "Were they evacuated to safety in time?"

"They're in the southern parts of the city, where it's safe." Mac answered. "We have some soldiers watching over them too."

"Well, that's a relief, I guess," Melissa said.

The company went silent again once they went through the bright gateway, moving down its long and narrow passageway. It took a minute, but they were able to make it to the exit, seeing a construction site once they were outside. It appeared to be an extension of the city, moving further into the desert that lies ahead. But like the actual city, not a single sign of the local population could be seen, since they were most likely evacuated to a safer location.

Doing their best to ignore the feeling of dread that lingered in the air, Caroline's group pressed on. No one in the company had anything to say as they swept through the empty construction site. Time flew by once the group emerged from the half completed extension, now seeing the vast acres of sand that laid ahead.

"Which way ma'am?" Leo asked the ginger.

"Hmm…" Caroline hummed quietly as she held her head, trying to sense her second in command's aura. It wasn't long until she picked it up, feeling it deep within the desert. "That way," she said, pointing her finger towards the north-east. "We'll need to continue through the desert. I can feel his aura getting closer as we move."

"So we have to go _through_ the desert?" Melissa questioned, looking at the grainy substance beneath her. "Through the sand… I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating…"

Sophia frowned when she heard those words, feeling strange irritation take her. She couldn't explain why, but the ex-roserade felt an endless amount of annoyance at the sounds of those words, wanting the brunette to cease from continuing.

"Not to mention that it gets everywh-"

"Melissa, please stop talking." Caroline interrupted Melissa, sharing Sophia's annoyance.

"Fine, fine," Melissa said, giving in to the ginger's order. "Still, sand sucks."

Caroline rolled her eyes at the brunette before moving into the desert, having the rest of her group follow close behind again. Melissa let out an annoyed groan once she stepped in the sand, already disliking that they had to trek through the grainy substance. Despite this, the brunette kept silent as she followed the aurora leader as she lead the way towards Aaron.

During their hour long journey through the heat and sand, the group of soldiers came across multiple ruins that littered the desert, signs of an ancient civilization that once ruled these sands. Sophia was intrigued by this, wondering how powerful that civilization was and why they chose a desert as their home. But the ex-roserade put those thoughts to the side, knowing that she had to focus on the task at hand.

Several minutes later, after the group passed through the ruins, Caroline could feel that Aaron's aura was nearby. This puzzled the ginger, due to the group coming upon a steep sandy cliff that led down into a deep valley. The ginger signaled her group to stop before laying herself into a prone position, crawling towards the edge of the steep cliff. As she reached the end, her green orbs widened in shock at the object within the valley. Caroline quickly motioned the others to come closer and stay low, knowing that they had to see it.

Following their leader's order, the group went with her idea of going prone and crawling towards the edge. When they reached the ginger, they had a full view of the object that was within the valley. A large black structure stood inside, having a design that looked similar to a medieval castle. The structure had a eerie and intimidating look to it, which would turn anyone easily frightened away. Statues of gargoyles stood at the top of several stone pillars that were spread out through the exterior, furthering the intimidation the castle gave off. To top it off, a large pole stood at the center of the structure, with a purple flag waving at the top of it. On the flag, the group could easily see the Team Bellator emblem on it, making them know who the castle belonged to.

"Holy crap…" Melissa muttered under her breath.

"A castle?!" Leo exclaimed surprisingly. "Since when did Team Bellator have a castle here?!"

"We're going to have to assume that this is their main base," Mac said to the group, eyeing the structure. "A black castle…"

"Aaron's in there?" Sophia asked Caroline, wondering how they were going to find him in such a large complex.

The ginger gave the white haired girl a nod. "His aura is close, he has to be."

"Along with hundreds-if not-thousands of Bellator soldiers." Beth added. "Their base is so close to ours; they've been right under our noses this entire time."

"How are we going to get in there?" Mac asked. "There are bound to be guards stationed all over the place."

Caroline hummed curiously, trying to find a workable entrance for them to get into undetected. However, the only way inside the castle the ginger could find was through the two large doors located at the front, and there was no way they could get there without avoiding detection.

"We need an entrance," she said to the group. "Preferably one that doesn't let us get caught. But it's going to be difficult trying to do that during the day…"

Leo was going to say his part, but the sound of something sliding down the slope caught his and several other soldier's attention. When he saw what, or more precisely, who went down the slope, his eyes widened in shock as he immediately tried to warn his leader.

"Uh… m-ma'am…?" The captain said in a worried tone.

"Maybe some of us could make a diversion?" Caroline questioned herself, not hearing Leo. "That might let some of us inside…"

"Ma'am?!" Leo said louder, finally getting the ginger's attention.

"What is it?" she asked.

Rather than answer vocally, the shaggy haired captain pointed a finger at the person who slid down the slope, making Caroline look at them. When she did, the ginger's eyes lit up in horror as she witnessed Melissa hop off the end of the slope and into the valley, charging towards the castle with her double blade in hand. The ginger could even hear her battle cry as she charged.

"What the-?!" Caroline gasped in disbelief before she screamed at the brunette in anger. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Melissa didn't answer the ginger's angered shout, instead she chose to make a aura sphere in her free hand, which slowly grew in size the longer she held it. Once she channeled enough of the red fiery substance into the large sphere, the brunette quickly threw it at the front entrance. The attack connected, making the doors bend horribly at the explosion that followed it. However, they remained closed, showing how strong they truly were. Despite this, Melissa continued her charge, and once she got close enough, she infused her red aura into her fist and smashed it onto the doors. They were quick to give in into the next strike, being forcibly opened to reveal the contents within. A Bellator soldier along with several maids stared in astonishment as the brunette crashed through the opening, horribly shocked by her presence.

"Hi there," Melissa said with a smug grin, then launched a aura sphere at the soldier, sending him crashing into the wall behind. The maids gasped in shock before they ran off in fear of Melissa, wanting to get as far away from her as possible.

Back at the top of the valley, the group stared in shock as Melissa single handedly stormed the castle, hearing the sirens that roared within the structure. Caroline in particular was heavily annoyed and angered by the brunette's decision to take away any chance of stealth, ruining their plan.

"Well, I guess we should follow her," Sophia said to the group, giving them a small grin. "She _did_ make an opening for us after all."

"I suppose…" Caroline grunted in anger before she got up and jumped down onto the steep slope, charging towards the castle. "Let's go!"

The company acknowledged the ginger's order, and was quick to jump down the slope to follow their leader in the assault on the castle. The alarms that went off throughout the structure alerted the soldiers within, who scrambled to the front enterance to deal with the invaders. The group reached the opening Melissa made, and saw her cut down several soldiers that charged at her. As she finished with the last soldier, the brunette turned to the group and gave them a toothy smile.

"What took you guys so long?" she asked cheerily.

"You insubordinate-!" Caroline seethed, having none of the brunette's innocent attitude. "What were you thinking?!"

"That we needed a way into the castle." Melissa answered in the same cheery tone. "So I bust down the big door, and here we are! Inside the castle!"

"You took away our only chance for stealth _and_ ruined our plan!" Caroline argued. "Not to mention that you could've gotten yourself killed!"

"Except I'm still alive," the brunette said calmly. "I can handle a few grunts on my own."

Caroline was going to yell more at the insubordinate brunette, but the sounds of heavy footsteps coming from multiple directions stopped her from doing so. The sounds could be heard from the several hallways that were near the group, signalling Bellator reinforcements were incoming.

"More soldiers!" Beth yelled. "And from the sounds of it, there's too many to fight head on!"

"What should we do ma'am?!" Leo questioned loudly, bring his bastard sword into a tight grip.

Thinking as quickly as she could, Caroline searched for a way that the group could run to. The only passage the ginger could find was a hallway that was located in front of the now destroyed entrance. It was the only corridor that didn't have the sounds of heavy foot steps marching towards them, so it was the only safe passageway.

"Forward!" Caroline ordered loudly, pointing towards the passageway. "We have to keep moving!"

With the entire group silently agreeing, they followed the ginger as she ran into the hallway, going deeper into the foreign castle. After a couple seconds, multiple large squads of Bellator soldiers charged into the front entrance, and were quick to run after Caroline's group, flooding the corridor they ran down.

* * *

The Bellator queen watched as the preparations for her wedding were being built. Several rows of neatly placed chairs were lined up in the large room, being split in half by a long white isle that sat in the middle. The white section of the floor led up to a half constructed altar that had yet to be completed and painted. Not far from the decor sat a large organ that would play the wedding theme once it began, a tune Viola enjoyed greatly.

The violet haired teen smiled at the work being done, knowing that her wedding would arrive in a matter of days. Viola could already picture herself and Aaron standing under the altar, sharing the kiss that would finally intertwine their lives forever.

" _No king or queen is truly complete without the other.'_ She thought happily. _"And Aaron is the only king for me…'_

Just as the Bellator queen thought that things were going smoothly, several alarms erupted throughout her castle. A large portion of the workers ceased the preparations when they heard the loud blaring sounds of the alerts, knowing that it meant someone was invading the castle. Despite this, Viola only looked upwards with a look of disinterest, as if the thought of invaders barely bothered her.

Before long, one of the queen's soldiers came racing towards her, stopping to gasp for air once he was close enough. "Your majesty! Several intruders have breached through the main doors!" He exclaimed.

"Who?" Viola questioned calmly.

"It's Aurora's Light!" He explained. "Their leader is leading a small group in the castle at this very instant!"

Viola was slightly surprised by the news; while she did expect Caroline to find her castle, the Bellator queen was expecting at least a major strike by an army, not a small group assault.

" _Is she suicidal? Or she leading some of her best men against me?'_ Viola thought. _"Well, either way, she's outnumbered. I'll make them pay for intruding into_ my _castle. I'll pummel that bitch down myself; no one will get in the way of Aaron and I's… wait a minute…'_

A new idea formulated in the queen's head, one that would demoralize Caroline and her group into oblivion. The very thought of the plan made Viola smile devilishly, knowing it would cause chaos for Aurora's light.

"O-orders your majesty?" The soldier asked.

"Where are they right now?" Viola questioned.

"We're getting reports that the invaders are charging down the main hallway. We have a large group hunting them down as we speak." He answered.

"Good, keep them on that path." The queen ordered. "Lead them straight into the throne room. I'm going to have a… surprise for them when they arrive."

"As you command." The soldier bowed before he raced off, trying to issue out the orders Viola gave as quickly as possible.

"Keep working, this will all be over soon." Viola commanded the workers once the soldier ran off, then walked towards another corridor that was connected to the room. During her fast paced stroll, the Bellator queen came across several soldiers that were scrambling to get to their positions, barely seeing her presence. "You four, with me," the queen said in a loud tone, grabbing their attention and forcing them to turn her way. They bowed for a split second before flanking her as she led the way.

It didn't take long to get to her destination, since Viola knew the inner workings of her castle greatly. When they arrived, the group met a large metal door, which housed a prisoner the queen adored immensely. Quickly taking a hold of a key she had, Viola used it to unlock the door and opened it, showing the contents of the room. Aaron was within it, still cuffed to the chair the queen put him in. He was visibly shocked, hearing the sirens that blared in the castle.

"H-hey! W-w-what's going on?!" Aaron asked loudly.

The queen didn't answer, feeling a ping of guilt strike her heart. Now that she was here in front of him, Viola felt reluctant to proceed with her deadly plan. The power she had to use would cause a great deal of pain to Aaron, which was something that Viola wanted to avoid at all costs. However, in order for her idea to work, this was something that had to be done.

Sighing sadly, the Bellator queen ignited her entire right hand in psychic energy. However, unlike the previous times Viola used her powers, the color was a dull grey instead of a light blue or pink. Nevertheless, the sudden use of the power frightened Aaron, who looked at the queen in further shock.

"H-hey! What a-are you doing?!" He demanded to know.

Viola still didn't answer him, slowly taking several steps forward until she was right in front of him. She slowly raised the glowing hand, which was visibly shaking. The queen still didn't want to do this, but she knew she had no choice.

"Forgive me... my love…" Viola whispered.

Wasting no more time, Viola quickly placed the glowing hand on Aaron's head. Almost immediately, the bound teen began to scream in pain as the energy seeped into his mind, leaving a trail of agony in its wake. The commander thrashed his head around as he yelled, doing anything he could to get the queen's hand off him. But his attempts were in vain, for the palm forcibly remained in place, allowing more of the grey energy to delve into his head.

After several seconds, Aaron's screams and struggling slowly came to a halt as Viola altered his mind. His pained expression was replaced with a blank stare that looked aimlessly ahead. Aaron's once chocolate brown eyes were now a dull grey, matching the energy Viola used. Said energy slowly faded away as the queen finished, withdrawing the hand in the process. Seeing his new and blank expression, Viola used her psychic powers to unlock Aaron's bindings. Despite being free to move, the commander remained in place, still staring off into nothing.

"Stand." Viola ordered softly.

The word triggered something in the teen's mind, making him stir in place. Slowly but surely, Aaron pushed himself up, following the queen's order and standing in place in front of her.

"Place your hand on mine." Viola continued the test, extending her hand out. Like before, the order bounced around Aaron's head as he followed it, placing his hand on top of her's. The queen smiled at the results, pleased that the power actually worked. As she finished, Viola was quick to turn around to the soldier behind her to say, "Take him to the armory. There, you'll find a black suit of armor; dress Aaron inside of it as quickly as you can. Afterward, place him in the chamber underneath the throne room."

"As you say, your majesty." One of the soldiers bowed slightly, accepting the order.

Viola turned back to the now possessed Aaron, giving him his next order. "Follow the soldiers, and let them don you into your armor, okay?"

Aaron gave the queen a small nod before walking towards the soldiers, following them as they filed out of the room. After they left, Viola pulled on the one of the sleeves of her dress, revealing the xtransceiver that laid underneath. Tapping on several of the buttons of the interface, Viola called out to four people, all of which answered the call. The four Bellator knights appeared on the small screen, getting their own small portions on it.

"How may we serve you, your majesty?" the red knight said.

"I need all of you to go to the throne room," Viola said. "There, you'll greet our invaders, along with assisting our new… _asset_."

"As you say," the green knight said before all four exited the transmission, leaving a blank screen behind.

Viola left the small room and proceed to move towards the security room, wanting to see the battle that would soon take place. During her small walk, the feeling of unease surrounded the queen's mind, slowing down her walking speed by a small degree.

" _Will that infusion be enough?'_ She questioned herself. _"It was a simple mind control infusion, so it won't be permanent, along with being a little weak as well. But Aaron should listen to my orders, and none of those fools are capable of breaking it. This battle should be mine for the taking.'_

Viola continued her walk until she reached the security room, seeing the large monitor that displayed multiple images of the insides of her castle. Technicians worked the controls as fast as they could, trying to follow the movements of the small invading force. On one of the images, Viola caught a glimpse of the Aurora group before they moved on to another screen, this time keeping up with them. The queen could see that Caroline was leading the way, with her soldiers following closely behind.

However, Viola's attention was mainly set on Sophia, who upon closer inspection was wearing different clothing than what she had on yesterday. To the queen, Sophia actually looked like a humanoid roserade underneath the armor, making Viola ponder as to why she chose to wear something like that to battle.

" _It matters not.'_ She thought, pushing those feelings aside. _"She's just as dead as the rest of them.'_

"Your majesty?" one of the technicians said to the queen. "The knights are standing by in the throne room."

"Good." Viola nodded. "Now we wait for our guests to arrive."

The queen couldn't help but to break out a smile as she glared at the screen housing the image of the opposing force, wanting to see their destruction unravel before her.

" _This is too easy.'_

* * *

The group of Aurora soldiers kept charging through the many hallways of the Bellator castle, following their leader as she led the way. From almost everyone opening besides one, more and more Bellator soldiers emerged and chased after them, forming a large horde behind the group. Every few seconds, one of the three Auroran captains would chuck a aura sphere at their pursuers, blasting a small portion of them away. It didn't help however, for every one bellator soldier that fell, two to three more would take their place.

"How are we supposed to find Aaron with this many soldiers following us?!" Melissa yelled.

"You should've thought about that when you decided to bust down the main entrance!" Caroline snapped back. "Just keep moving! I can feel Aaron's aura getting closer as we move!"

"Ma'am, with all do respect, do you really know where we're going?!" Beth called out, throwing an orange aura sphere at the horde behind them. "We might get overrun before we even find the commander!"

"I'd rather not die by the hands of these idiots!" Leo chimed in.

"JUST. KEEP. MOVING!" Caroline barked at the group.

The group ran down another hallway, which led towards a darkened room at the end. There was no other way to go but into the room, and the ever growing horde of Bellator soldiers were gaining up on the small group. Having no choice, Caroline barked everyone to move into the darkened room, the only way forward.

"Everyone inside, NOW!"

The group was quick to follow the order, moving into the room as fast as they could. When the final Aurora soldier made it inside, the entrance was quickly sealed by a large door that fell from the top, blocking anyone from entering and darkening the room greatly.

The group panted tiredly, finally getting the chance to catch a breath from all the running they did. Caroline made a quick head count on everyone, and felt relieved when no one was unaccounted for. As she finished, the ginger-along with the rest of the group-scanned the dark area as best as they could, trying to see what location they ended up at.

"W-where… are we…?" Sophia panted out.

"I… I don't know…" Melissa said slowly. "It's too dark to really see anything…"

"Let's recuperate for the time being," Caroline said. "There's no telling what we'll run into next."

"Oh, you have no idea, **scum**." A masculine voice echoed through the room, immediately forcing the group to tense up and wield their weapons once more. The lights of the room began to activate, illuminating the room slowly in the process. Once it was bright enough, the group could make out the large, wide and long room they entered. Multiple marble pillars were connected to the floor and ceiling, and a large red carpet was laid out on the floor, extending from the door the group entered through to a small staircase that led up to a throne. Above the large chair was a large and thin screen that was powered off.

Standing near the staircase were the four Bellator knights, with two standing on each side. Each had their own weapons in hand and were smiling viciously at the small group. The company of Aurora soldiers walked forward, moving through the large room until they stopped in the middle, glaring at the armored individuals ahead.

"The four Bellator knights," Leo said in a harsh tone. "I was wondering when we would run into you dirtbags."

"Likewise, prick." The red knight insulted.

A second later, the screen above the throne began to activate, brighten up until it displayed a image. Viola's face appeared on it once it finished, showing off her smug smile to the small group.

"Hasn't anyone told you heathens that it's rude to walk into someone's home without permission?" the queen asked.

"Save it you skank." Melissa insulted the queen. "Why don't you come over here so I can bash your face in?"

"Your threats are just like your head, Melissa." Viola chuckled at the brunette. "They're both empty."

Melissa bared her teeth at the screen, and was going to throw more insults the queen's way. However, before she was able to, the sudden ringing of Viola's xtransceiver cut the brunette off and grabbed the queen's attention. Viola was quick to answer it, and she quickly smiled once more when she read what was displayed on the screen.

"Enough of this!" Sophia yelled at the screen. "Where's Aaron?! What have you done to him?!"

"You know, I was just about to call for him," Viola said with another low chuckle. She tapped on her xtransceiver before she spoke into it. "Aaron? Could you be a dear and greet our guests? They want to see you."

Her words put confusion on the group, each one of the soldiers wondering what she meant by that. A moment later, the sounds of several mechanisms unlocking grabbed their attention, making them look towards the bottom of the staircase. A small circle opened up in the floor, which were followed by more mechanical sounds. A figure slowly appeared in the opening with their head down, rising up from the hole. Their black curly hair covered their head, and was long enough to touch their shoulders. Heavy black armor covered their body, armor that was nearly the same as the other knights. However, the armor had several markings carved into it, and the Bellator emblem was painted on the chest, giving it a more unique look.

To Melissa's shock and horror, the figure was holding a large claymore in their right hand. Jagged spikes ran along the edges of the blade, and had cosmetic designs all over the handle. The weapon was identical to the sword of Melissa's nightmare, which scared the brunette down to her core.

When the figure's entire body was shown, the lift stopped, closing off the hole in the floor. All eyes were on the armored man as he slowly raised his dark skinned face, showing off his lifeless grey eyes. The group instantly recognized him, and were shocked by what happened to him. Sophia especially felt her heart churn when she made eye contact with him.

"Oh no…" Sophia whispered with wide eyes, staring at the teen ahead. "Please… please no…"

"Say hello... to Aaron!" Viola called out from the screen, smiling devilishly. "The new black knight!"


	23. Chapter 23

Bewilderment and disbelief fell onto the group of Aurora soldiers as they gawked at the knights before them. All eyes were on Aaron as he stood in the middle of the other armored personnel, who approached him when he appeared. The black knight's grey orbs stared off ahead, showing off the zombie-like state he was in to the group.

"Wha… what did you… do…?" Melissa said slowly to the screen that showed the Bellator queen's face, shock covering her voice as she spoke. "What did you do to him…?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Viola said innocently, smiling at the brunette. "I did nothing to him; Aaron choose to be on my side with his own free-"

" **DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME, YOU BITCH!** " Melissa screamed at the top of lungs in absolute fury, letting her anger get the best of her. " **WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BROTHER?!** "

The sudden scream made Viola jump slightly, catching the queen off guard for a moment. She was quick to regain her composure however, smiling once more. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she said in a dark tone.

Her words further drove Melissa's rage, making the brunette fume where she stood. "I swear, when I get my hands on you, I'm gonna tear you limb from-!"

"Melissa! Enough!" Caroline barked, ceasing the brunette's angered words. "Arguing and threatening with her won't solve anything! Focus on the situation at hand!"

Melissa went silent, but still kept her enraged glare on the screen, seething at the smile Viola gave her. However, knowing that her rage wasn't going to solve the situation, the brunette took a deep breath and exhaled trying to calm herself down. Melissa's brown orbs glanced towards Aaron now, feeling her heart churn as she saw him hold the claymore from her ghastly dream.

"Ma'am, what should we do?" Mac questioned his leader. "How are we going to save the commander?"

Caroline eyed their situation carefully, trying to see what options were available to the group. Fortunately, they had their enemy outnumbered and brought several squads of Aurora soldiers with them for support. Unfortunately, the group is facing all four of the knights at the same time, the best of Viola's forces. To make matters worse, Aaron was with them, possessed by the Bellator queen and forced to fight his previous allies. To say the situation was bad would be an understatement.

"We… follow the original plan," Caroline said. "We'll take down the knights and save Aaron. Then we converge on the leader once everything is said and done."

"But ma'am," Leo said quietly. "The commander's…"

"I know," Caroline said. "I'll try to sedate him while you guys take on the knights. Meanwhile, the soldiers-"

"Oh, you mean those barbarians behind you?" Viola called out from the screen, overhearing the ginger. "I wouldn't factor them into the equation, especially since they'll be… quite busy with what I have in store."

Following right after she finished speaking, the doors that have been previously closed off began to open, catching the group's attention as they did. Bellator soldiers marched through the entrance, flooding into the room as they slowly approached the group.

"Son of a…" One of the Aurora soldiers growled under his breath before turning to Caroline. "Orders ma'am?"

The ginger glared at the approaching force; their presence made the situation even worse. "Engage, try to keep them off of us for as long as you can." She ordered the squads.

"Will do!" The soldier saluted before he and the rest of the group charged at the enemy force, clashing with them as soon as they got close enough. The sound of metal clashing against metal filled the air as they battled, a noise everyone in the room was too familiar with by now.

"Not sure how long they'll keep them off," Beth said worryingly, eyeing the battle behind them.

"Then we'll have to make this quick!" Leo called out, glaring at the knights once more . "I call dibs on the red one!"

"Alright, the green one's mine then," Mac said.

"That orange bitch is going down." Beth seethed, wanting revenge for the events that happened in the city.

"Fine, I'll focus on the blue one." Melissa sighed as she got into position. "It's about time that these assholes got what's coming for them."

"Let's end this you creeps!" Leo pointed his bastard sword at the knights threateningly, prepared for battle.

"Oh, we'd be more than happy to bring your pathetic lives to an end!" The orange knight smiled viciously, cracking her armored knuckles together.

"Sophia, I'll need your assistance when I fight Aaron," Caroline said to the ex-roserade, not getting a response from her at all. Confused, the ginger glanced at her, wondering why she remained silent. "Sophia?"

The white haired girl kept her silence as she stared at the black knight in astonishment. Her red orbs peered into Aaron's dull grey eyes, seeing the soullessness that was laced within them. The teen didn't look back at Sophia, still staring off into nothing as he stood completely still. The ex-roserade could practically feel his pain, wanting to free him from his possessed prison.

"Sophia!" Caroline called out to the white haired girl, finally getting her attention. "I _need_ your help. I can't fight him alone, so I'll need you to support me while I fight him, okay?"

"I…" Sophia whispered.

"Well then! It seems everyone is ready to start the party!" Viola exclaimed from the screen, wanting to get the show on the road. "Knights, feel free to decimate the scum before you, show no mercy. As for you Aaron, don't kill the ginger. Hit her, slice her, hell you can even break her bones for all I care. But do keep her alive, I want her broken, not dead. You can kill the girl with white hair however."

After Viola issued the order, the screen above the throne shut off. Not a second later did a low groan emerge from Aaron mouth as he stirred in place. The queen's words rippled through his head at a rapid pace, which had made his lifeless orbs gaze at Sophia. The quick glance soon turned into a deadly glare at the sight of the black knight's new target, which in turn caused Sophia's fear and sadness to skyrocket under it.

The black knight began his slow advance towards the ex-roserade, taking several slow steps forward. The other armored personnel did the same, making their way to the opponents that challenged them. The three Aurora captains-along with Melissa-followed suite, and it wasn't long until they broke out into a short lived sprint to reach their enemies, quickly clashing against them once they were close enough. Melissa was first to reach her target, slamming one of the blades of her double sword against the blue knights daggers. The brunette was quick to kick the knight in the stomach afterwards, forcing her opponent to heave and stagger back, giving Melissa more ground to attack from. She sent a flurry of slices and stabs at the knight, forcing the opponent to either block or dodge the barrage of attacks.

Leo was the next to reach his target, slashing his large sword against the knight's and entering an intense lock with him. The blades ground violently against each other as both men pushed fiercely into the lock, trying to force the other back. The red knight, getting annoyed by Leo's push, let out a small shout as he slashed his sword out of the lock. The Aurora captain's weapon was thrown away at the split second, allowing the knight to ram his armored foot into Leo's gut, forcing him back and giving the knight more ground to use. Leo was quick to raise his sword back up however, blocking the incoming attacks sent his way while being pushed back further and further.

The orange knight and Beth were third to make contact; the heavy armored woman swung a right hook at the captain. Seeing the attack heading her way, Beth raised her left arm-which was encased in a heavy gauntlet-to intercept the attack, blocking it effectively. The knight attempted a left hook afterward, this time making the fist glow in white aura. The captain blocked this attack with her right arm, using her orange aura to cancel out the knight's. The armored opponent growled in frustration as she attempted another right hook, making the fist glow in her aura and swinging it as fast as she could. Beth, instead of blocking it this time, smashed her left arm against the attack, knocking it away and leaving the knight wide open. The raven haired captain moved closer to her opponent to deliver a heavy uppercut cover in aura. The punch connected with the knight's chin, dazing the armored woman and making her stagger back. The knight held her chin as it throbbed in pain, glaring at Beth as she did. The heavy armored woman let out a short battle cry before she charged at the captain once more, swinging a flurry of fast paced punches when she got close enough. In order to avoid the large amounts of attacks, Beth hopped backwards and raised her arms together to block the ones she couldn't avoid, giving the knight more and more room to maneuver as she did.

Captain MacArthur and the green knight were the last running combatants to reach one another. The two large men slammed their hammers once they got close enough, sending sparks flying upon impact. Moving back from the heavy attack, the knight raised his weapon above his head before bringing it down towards Mac. The captain stepped toward the side to dodge the downwards strike, making his foe's hammer smash onto the down and causing several cracks to appear in the floor upon its wake. Seeing an opening on his enemy, the Aurora captain was quick to slam his hammer into the knight's armored stomach. The heavy armored man heaved at the attack and stepped back by multiple times, allowing Mac to followed up his strike by shooting off a dark red aura sphere at the knight. Once again the knight was forced back by several more steps as the sphere crashed into him. A low chuckle exited the heavy armored man as he brushed off his chestpiece, smiling at the captain as he did.

"Tch, not bad," the knight said. "But you'll have to do better than that."

In the midst of the eight combatants' battles, Aaron slowly walked pasted them, ignoring them completely as he marched toward his target. His soulless grey eyes stared coldly at Sophia and Caroline, the latter of which stood defiantly in front of the ex-roserade. The grip the ginger had on her sabers got tighter as he got closer to them, feeling the tensity the black knight gave off. Meanwhile, Sophia remained still behind Caroline, not wishing to battle against someone so close to her.

"Sophia, I know you don't want to fight him," Caroline said to the frightened ex-roserade. "But we need to find a way to subdue him if we want to save him."

"But… I don't…" Sophia whispered, trying to argue.

"I know," Caroline said. "I don't want to hurt him either, but it's the only thing that I can think of to knock him out right now." The ginger glanced back at Sophia to give her the best reassuring look she could muster up a the moment. "When we subdue him, I promise we'll do the best we can to heal him. I can't take him down on my own however, so I'll _need_ your help if want to save him. So please, assist me in this fight so we can succeed in doing so."

The ex-roserade still kept her worried glance on Aaron, who was still making his way towards the two women. "I-I…" She muttered out, knowing that this was most likely the only way to save the possessed commander. "O-okay… I'll… I'll do my best," Sophia said, holding her katana up with her shaking hands.

Seeing the white haired girl ready herself, Caroline gave her a small nod before turning her attention on Aaron once more. When the new black knight got close enough, the ginger dashed right towards him, preparing an attack with her dual sabers. Getting near Aaron, Caroline jumped with one of her sabers raised above her head, attempting a downwards slash with it. However, just as she swung her attack down, Aaron grabbed the ginger's wrist mid-flight with his free hand, halting the attack before it could connect. Caroline gasped in surprise as Aaron held her wrist, making her dangle in front of him. Violently swinging her body towards his right, Aaron quickly swung the ginger towards his left and let her go soon after, sending her flying and crashing onto the floor.

Continuing as if he wasn't interrupted, Aaron once again moved toward Sophia, giving her a malicious glare as he did. Sophia's crimson eyes widened when she saw how the black knight discarded Caroline without care, and she shuddered in place as he approached her. Aaron's ignited the blade of his claymore with blue aura, getting ready to send an attack the ex-roserade's way. However, before he could get too close, a green aura sphere struck the knight in the back. The small explosion made Aaron grunt in slight discomfort, but it quickly evaporated once he turned towards the direction the projectile came from.

Once again, Caroline was charging towards the knight with both swords in her hands. She swung the blades at the possessed once she got close enough, which he easily blocked with his claymore. The ginger moved with extreme speed as she rapidly attacked with her sabers, swinging the blades against the large weapon of the knight. Aaron blocked each of her quick strikes easily, waiting for his chance to make an opening. He got it once the ginger attempted another dual strike with her swords, and smashed his claymore against them with heavy strength. The amount of power behind the strike sent sparks flying between the three blades, and made Caroline's sabers break loose from her hands.

Seeing she was vulnerable, Aaron lunged his free hand at her neck and wrapped his metal-clad fingers around it. The sudden action emitted a gasp from the ginger, and her green orbs widened when her body was brought up in the air again. Instead of tossing again however, Aaron slammed her back onto the ground with heavy force. Caroline cried out in pain upon contact, and couldn't react in time as Aaron stomped his metal boot onto her stomach. The ginger heaved out at the strike and held her stomach, feeling the agony that coursed through her.

Seeing that Caroline was incapacitated at the moment, Aaron set his soulless eyes on Sophia again and began to move towards her once more. The ex-roserade watched in fear as he approached, seeing how quickly he was able to down Caroline. Sophia's shaking hands gripped her katana even more tightly than before, terrified of what would come next.

"A-Aaron, wait! Please, p-please stop!" The ex-roserade begged as tears started to gather at the corners of her eyes. Unfortunately for the white haired girl, her pleas fell on deaf ears as the knight continued his advance, undeterred by her sadness. In fact, Aaron almost immediately broke out into a sprint to close the distance between him and his target, lifting his claymore for a strike.

Having no choice, Sophia raised her weapon in a defensive stance to block the attack. When the strike connected, the heavy amount of force behind the attack almost made Sophia's knees buckle. It didn't help when Aaron began to push into the lock, pushing the ex-roserade back even further than before.

"D-don't do this!" Sophia pleaded once more, staring into his grey eyes. "This isn't you! Come back to us! Come back to _me_!"

Her words still had no effect on the possessed teen, who raised his blade to slam down another attack. The force behind this strike managed to force the ex-roserade to fall on one knee when she barely blocked it, feeling his brute force. In the middle of the second lock, Aaron drew back one of his hands and aimed the open palm at his target, making Sophia's eyes widen when she realized he was about to fire a aura sphere. But just as the fiery substance began to form, Aaron was suddenly interrupted when Caroline rammed herself into his side, breaking him out of the lock and forcing him on the ground. Still on top of him, the ginger threw several punches at the teen's face at a rapid pace, doing anything to break the trance he was under.

"Snap! Out! Of! It!" Caroline yelled between the punches.

Her efforts were in vain however, as Aaron seemed to be unfazed by the strikes she threw at him. The possessed knight maneuvered one of his feet onto the attacking ginger's stomach and shoved her off of him, getting up as soon as he did. Caroline was quick to draw out sabers again, preparing to engage her second in command once more.

"This… this is not you Aaron!" the ginger yelled. "That monster is making you do this! Fight her control! Reject her lies! Let us save you!"

Not listening to her demands, Aaron glowed in his blue aura and charged at Caroline, readying an attack with his weapon. The ginger ran as well, concealing herself with her own green aura as she let out a small battle cry. The combatant's blades quickly connected into another lock as the duo glared at each other, flaring in their aura in the middle of it.

* * *

Captain MacArthur kept moving back to dodge the heavy strikes from his opponent's war hammer, trying to find an exploitable weakness on the knight. The captain's opportunity arose when he sidestepped a downwards slam, leaving the heavy armored man vulnerable. Within that split second, Mac swung his hammer onto the knight's armored gut, earning a slightly pained gasp from him in the process. However, the knight was quick to grab the handle of the captain's hammer and made a strong pull, forcing Mac to get closer to him due to his tight grip on the hammer. Once in range, the knight swept his foot underneath the Aurora captain's, tripping him and forcing him to fall on the ground. The knight let out a small chuckle as he raised his hammer, attempting to slam it on the downed captain. Before he could do so however, Mac rolled his body away from the heavy armored man, narrowly dodging another heavy strike. Getting far enough, the captain got back onto his feet and raised his hammer in a defensive position, glaring at his opponent while he did.

"C'mon now, I expected more from my adversaires." The knight taunted, letting out another small laugh. "So far, I'm not impressed by your performance."

"Heh, funny, I was just about to say the same thing," Mac said in a low voice.

The knight gave Mac an amused grunt before charging at him again. Using just his right hand, the heavy armored man swung his hammer at the captain's left side, which Mac easily blocked his own weapon. However, this is exactly what the knight wanted, and he was quick to take advantage of Mac's sudden vulnerability. Moving in close, the knight punched the captain with a heavy left hook and rammed his armored foot into Mac's stomach. Both attacks earned pained groans from the bald man, and was he forced back by several steps from the kick. MacArthur's adversary did not relent as he moved in again with his hammer above his head. The captain's eyes widened as he raised his own weapon to block the attack, collapsing on one of his knees when it connected due to the heavy force behind the deadly blow. Not letting up his assault, the knight drew back one of his hands and jabbed multiple punches at the Aurora soldier's face, delivering more and more damage to his helmet with each hit.

Trying to act fast, the Aurora captain pushed his weapon against the knight's, forcing him back from the short lived lock and catching a breath soon after. Unfortunately for the captain, the armored man recovered quickly from the small push and moved in to deliver a hard kick to the chest. While his armor absorbed some of the damage, the force behind it still made Mac fall onto his back. The Aurora captain tried to get up immediately, but the knight moved faster, and was able to sweep his hammer at Mac's side. The captain rolled on the floor after the hit, never getting his chance to rise up as his opponent kept up his assault, punching and kicking the downed man at every chance he got. Sweeping his hammer at Mac's side once more, the knight made the captain slide on the floor again, coughing in pain once he came to a complete stop.

"Bah, this is too pathetic." The knight spat. "Is this really the best your army has to offer? It's no wonder the queen doesn't take you fools seriously."

The heavy armored man moved in towards the fallen soldier, a triumphant smirk crept up on his lips while he did. Once he was close enough, the knight raised his hammer above his head, preparing for the killing blow. Mac, who was breathing heavily injured from the armored man's attacks, could do nothing more than sit still and close his eyes, silently accepting his fate.

However, unbeknownst to both combatants, a poke-ball attached to Mac's utility belt began to shake itself off, falling to the floor once it was free. As soon as it made contact, the red and white sphere opened up and zapped out white lightning-like energy into the air, which began to form into a small primate body. Chris, MacArthur's chimchar, appeared from the now dispersed energy and spewed out a large stream of fire at the knight. The heavy armored man's eyes lit up with shock once the fire monkey appeared, and gasped in great pain as the flames covered him, slightly burning his skin and armor in the process.

When the flames subsided, Chris fell in front of MacArthur and stood defiantly, not wanting anymore damage to be inflicted on his master. The Aurora captain was initially surprised by the chimchar's sudden appearance, but relief washed over his astonishment a second later, realizing he was just saved by the fire-type pokemon. A low groan escaped Mac's lips as he slowly pushed himself up; not far from him was the knight, whose skin and armor was covered by black soot, leftovers from the pokemon's flamethrower. He coughed several times before sending a burning glare at the duo ahead of him, now angered by what transpired.

"What is this?!" The knight demanded. "What the hell is this bullshit?!"

"Heh, say hello… to my little friend." MacArthur grunted as he got back up on his feet with his hammer in hand. "And as for your stupid question… no, I'm not the best that Aurora's Light has to offer. But… I don't _need_ to be the best to take you down, **scum**."

The knight sent the captain a low growl, bushing off some of the soot on his face afterward. "We'll see about that!" he yelled, dashing at the duo with his hammer in hand.

"Chris," Mac said to the small monkey, gaining its attention. "Close your eyes and cover your ears, and don't open them until I say so, okay?"

Once the fire-type pokemon nodded and followed the simple command, the Aurora captain moved in front of him and began to cover himself in red aura. Before long, Mac charged at his opponent, quickly meeting him within a few seconds. Both combatants swung their weapons at each other and collided with a heavy slam. But thanks to the boost in strength from Aurora captain's aura, Mac's hammer was able to overpower the knight's and forced it back. Taking the advantage on the surprised man, Mac spun in place, bringing his hammer around and smashing it into the knight's side. The armored man winced in pain at the contact of the weapon, his armor not doing much to protect him from the red aura on the hammer.

The Aurora captain didn't let up his attack and kept spinning in place, striking the knight on multiple areas of his body, his armor still not capable of protecting him from the aura assault. Once he finished, the Aurora captain brought back hammer and infused more red aura into it, greatly increasing the amount of the fire-like substance. After enough aura was infused into the hammer, Captain MacArthur slammed it into the dazed knight's right arm, causing a sickening crack to echo in the air upon contact. The knight screamed in pain and held his now broken arm, letting go of his weapon in the process.

While the knight focused on the tremendous pain in his arm, his attention on Mac was completely broken, allowing the captain to do a small aura jump and bring his aura covered weapon over his head in the process. By the time the knight looked up at his adversary, it was far too late for him to do anything, for Mac's hammer slammed itself on top of his head. Another sickening crack echoed within the air as the knight let out a small pained gasp before going silent. The armored man's body slowly tilted back, crashing onto the ground with a loud thud and remained still, signalling that he was no longer alive.

Panting from the heated battle, Mac stared at the fallen combatant before him, seeing the knight's now lifeless eyes rolled back into his head. The captain approached the dead man and leaned down, reaching out and closing his eyelids with a soft sigh. Afterwards, the captain got back up and slowly moved towards his chimchar, who was still covering his ears and keeping his eyelids shut tight.

"Hey, Chris?" Mac leaned down and nudged the fire-type pokemon, making him open his eyes and smile upon seeing his face. "Thanks for the save there little buddy, he almost had me."

The captain petted the monkey softly with his index finger before returning him to his poke-ball. With that done, Mac got up and moved towards the other combatants. Despite wanting to catch a breath from his own battle, the Aurora captain knew that his allies would most likely need his assistance with their battles, so rest wasn't an option at the moment.

* * *

Leo was once again stuck in a sword lock with the red knight, constantly pushing his bastard sword against the force of his opponent. Both fighters were glaring fiercely at each other as they struggled to make the other stumble out of the lock, knowing they could easily strike if successful.

But after a couple of seconds, the red armored man let out an annoyed grunt before ramming his foot into Leo's gut, forcing him back and breaking the intense lock. Not letting the captain get too far back from range, the knight closed in and began swinging his large sword at Leo, making the shaggy haired man narrowly block each of the strikes with his weapon. The Aurora captain slowly moved back as the knight continued his vicious assault, giving his adversary more and more room to take advantage of.

"Ha! Is _this_ really the skill of Lancer's captains?" The knight mocked in the middle of his attack. "I've faced lower ranked whelps who put up a better fight than you!"

Leo ignored the armored man's words, trying to focus on the sword swings coming his way. It wasn't long until the captain was able to parry one of the strikes, and he was quick to kick the knight away afterwards. The red armored man grunted at the small kick, but regained his composure to glare at his opponent, who was panting tiredly.

"I… I don't get it…" Leo let out between his breaths. "Why would you fight for someone so despicable? Why would _any_ of you fight for her? What do you have to gain?"

A small laugh escaped the knight's mouth; he found the captain's question to be rather amusing. "There are a number of things, you fool," he said. "But the most important of these reasons is to restore the name of Bellator to this world."

"W-what?" Leo whispered. "What are you talking about?"

"There is more to the name Bellator than it just being the title of our organization." The knight continued. "There was a time when that name would spread fear to the hearts of everyone that dared utter it, and rain death to those that opposed it." The knight's deadly smile grew wider as he spoke, feeling exhilaration move through him. "We only wish to bring those times back, and to bring the name of Bellator back into its rightful place! At the very top of this world and to rule its inhabitants."

"Hmph, good luck with that." The Aurora captain spat, raising his bastard sword and pointing it at the armored man. "If you assholes want to take over this world, then not only will you have to get past our fierce army, but also through my cold, dead body as well."

"Oh, that can be arranged." The knight's grin turned into a toothy smile as the charged at the captain once more, cleaving his large blade mercilessly. Leo blocked the oncoming strike, but began to struggle as the knight pressed on with more attacks, this time covering his weapon in white aura.

Seeing that the captain was too busy trying to defend himself, the knight reared back a fist and slammed it against Leo's during one of his sword swings. A pained gasp slipped through the captain's mouth as the armored fist collided with his helmet, and his body was forced to spin slightly because of it, leaving him wide open for another attack. The knight took advantage of this and slashed his large sword across Leo's back. Another gasp wailed from the captain as he staggered forward, turning around to face his opponent again.

Captain Kythira moved forward sluggishly and swung his weapon at the red armored man, attempting to make a strike on him. However, his attack was slow and predictable, allowing the knight to easily parry the strike with his sword and counter by slashing the captain's stomach. Leo groaned in agony as he held his now bleeding abdomen, staggering back again and feeling his vision getting hazy.

"Oh? Don't tell me you're getting tired," the knight said in a low, mocking voice. "The party's just begun! I'd hate to cut it short."

Leo could only respond with a low, pained groan, feeling his legs getting wobbly as seconds past. The knight laughed at the injured captain before he charged at him again, glowing in more of his white aura. Captain Kythira raised his bastard sword in an attempt to block an attack, but due to his weakened state, he wasn't able to truly block the oncoming bash from the red knight's sword. Leo's blade was forcibly kicked back, once again allowing the knight an opening. The red armored man was quick to slash the captain's legs lightly, forcing Leo onto his knees with another agonising gasp.

"Well now, I guess you can say I 'got past you', right?" The knight chuckled as he circled around the downed swordsman, placing the blade of his large sword on the captain's shoulder when he got behind him. "Die, now."

The knight raised his sword and drew it back, swinging it heavily towards the Aurora captain's neck, aiming to decapitate him. However, at the last split second between life and death, Leo swung his head away from the oncoming slash, narrowly dodging the blade as it soared above him. Using every bit of strength he had left, the captain swung his body around and poured as much of his yellow aura as he could into his sword before ramming it into the knight's gut. A surprised and pained cough escaped the knight's mouth as his eyes widened in shock, feeling the cold steel of Leo's blade pierce straight through his armored gut.

Leo didn't stop there however, as he was quick to get back onto his feet to pull his sword away to stab the knight again, this time in the chest. The force behind the stab threw the knight onto his back with Leo on top of him, glaring at the dying man below him as he gripped the handle of his sword tightly, keeping it placed within the armored man's chest.

"Like I said…" Leo panted, his voice incredibly raspy from agony and exhaustion. " **Over my dead body** …"

The dying knight coughed out blood as he tried to speak, slowly closing his eyes as his last breath left him. Leo breathed out a tired sigh as he raised himself off the dead combatant, removing his sword from his chest afterward. Leo flicked his weapon off into a random direction to remove the blood from the blade, the red substance splatting onto the ground as he did.

Seeing that his opponent would no longer pose a threat to him or his allies, Captain Kythira removed his glanced from the dead man and onto the battle that raged between his soldiers and the forces of Team Bellator. From a quick head count, he concluded that none of his troops received any casualties yet and could see that they were still fighting hard. The small thought waved some relief over the captain as watched them battle.

"Hey, Leo! You alright?" A voice followed by some heavy footsteps echoed behind the shaggy haired man. He turned to see his fellow captain MacArthur jogging towards him, a look of concern covering his face.

"Yeah… I'll live," Leo said to the larger captain, covering himself in yellow aura to heal. "You took care of your target?"

Mac answered with a small nod. " We should heal up and help the others. Hopefully, they've had the same luck we did in their battles."

"Hopefully," Leo sighed.

* * *

Rearing back from a right hook sent her way, Beth groaned out as shook her head, trying to shake off the pain she felt. She sent a glare towards the knight she was facing and infused her metal-clad fists with orange aura, charging at the armored woman ahead. The two exchanged a flurry of punches with each other, neither really trying to defend themselves from harm.

Covering her hands in even more aura, Captain Travis landed two more blows against the knight's face before she delivered a hard uppercut, managing to take the armored woman off the floor and into the air. Beth jumped after her with an aura hop, positioning herself above the airborne knight. The captain aimed one of her feet toward her opponent and threw one of her hands toward the ceiling. Within the palm, Beth created a large aura sphere which, when shot off, blasted her toward the knight, allowing her foot to ram onto the armored woman's stomach. Both crashed onto the floor with Captain Travis standing over her opponent. She was going to continue her attack by sending more punches at the downed knight's face, but was stopped when the knight shot a white aura sphere at her, sending the captain back and off the armored woman completely.

The knight kicked herself back onto her feet and started launching sphere after sphere at Beth, forcing the captain to duck or jump out of the way of the balls of light. After a few seconds of dodging, the Aurora Captain retaliated by throwing her own aura spheres at the knight, causing some of the fire-like projectiles to crash and explode onto each other. Some of the spheres managed to hit their intended targets, causing harm to both women when they connected.

Once the barrage of white and orange aura spheres ceased, both Beth and the knight dashed at each other again. The heavy armored woman threw a right hook at the captain when she got close, but Beth was quick to grab it with her left hand, stopping the punch in its tracks. Beth countered a second later, connecting her own right hook onto the knight's face. The knight growled at the pain she felt as she shook her hand free from the captain's grip. The heavy armored woman rammed herself into the raven haired girl's body, tackling her and forcing her onto the ground. Once they fell, the knight made sure she had the captain pinned before sending another flurry of punches her way. Each strike landed painfully on the captain, whether it be on her body or her partially protected head.

Beth gasped and groaned as she was assaulted furiously, trying to break her hands free from their pinned positions. When she finally managed to do so, Captain Travis grabbed both fists sent her way before they cause any more damage, stopping them in their tracks once more. The knight growled again as she reared her head back, concealing her temple with aura in the process. When there was enough, the knight slammed her head onto Beth's, hitting the helmet that protected her. While it manage to absorb some of the damage, the helmet couldn't stop the aura, which itself caused Beth to cry out in pain. The Aurora captain threw the knight's fists out of her hands and quickly pushed the knight, forcing her back a bit. Within that split second, Beth threw up one of her legs underneath the armored woman and shoved her back, getting her off completely. The captain shot an aura sphere at the knight before getting herself back up, making sure she had enough room to do so.

The orange knight let out a small laugh as she smiled at Beth, seemingly enjoying herself. "This is so much fun! It's not often that I get to fight such a worthy opponent!" She exclaimed.

"You're sick in the head if you think any of this is 'fun'." Beth snapped.

"Everyone has preference for fun, sweetheart!" the knight said. "Mine is the intensity of close quarters combat, and the absolute fear I get from my victims! There's nothing I enjoy more than stamping out the life of my enemies!"

"That's your idea of fun?! By killing people?!" Beth questioned loudly with disgust. "You really are sick in the head!"

"Like I said, everyone has a preference for fun." The knight reiterated, her devilish grin getting wider. "So when these hands are wrapped around your throat and are cutting off your only means of breathing, expect me to be laughing while I do it!"

The knight decided to give Beth no time to respond, insteading opting to charge at the captain once more, crackling a terrifying laugh as did. Captain Travis' eyes lit up as she stepped back to dodge the incoming swings of punches and kicks, barely dodging each of the attacks sent her way. The armored woman continued to laugh as she kept her assault, not letting the Aurora captain operate between her strikes.

"That's right, fear me!" The knight exclaimed. "I want to see the horror in your eyes, and hear your pained screams when I inflict more damage onto you! I want you to die, screaming for help while writhing in agony underneath me, begging for the mercy that will never come!"

Beth growled as she dodged more of the punches sent her way, becoming disgusted by the armored woman's sadistic nature. Having enough of the vicious assault, the raven haired girl slammed an arm against one of the incoming punches, knocking it away and quickly retaliating by striking the knight in the face with a heavily infused aura punch. Despite being in pain, the knight still kept up her strange laughter, as if nothing had happened. This only served to enraged the Aurora captain as she seethed at the knight, getting more sickened and annoyed by the woman's behavior.

Captain Travis struck another heavy hit against the armored woman and repeatedly struck her with multiple hard punches, each one getting the same result as the first strike. The knight, despite being dazed from the heavy hits, kept up her deranged laughter, as if the pain she felt coursing through her didn't bother her at all.

"You're such a freak!" Beth yelled between the punches, then delivered a strike that was imbued with a large amount of aura into the knight's stomach. The armored protecting her cracked under the fury of the aura, and the knight was forced to heave and cough out blood as a result. She fell to her knees and held her injured abdomen, but soon went straight back to laughing once her coughing fit ceased. Beth, after giving the knight one last pummeling, circled around the downed kneeling woman and placed her hands on her head; one on her chin, the other on the back of her skull. With the knight still crackling like a maniac, Beth yelled out furiously as she twisted the woman's head violently, forcing it around and snapping the neck as a result. An audible crack went through the air, and the knight ceased her laughing entirely. Once the Aurora captain released the head from her grip, the knight's body tumbled forward and hit the ground, going limp a second later. However, despite no longer being alive, the dead woman still sported the same devilish smile she had when she fought Beth, retaining her sick personality while in death.

The Aurora captain leaned down and shut the lifeless eyes of her fallen opponent, sighing in relief that she was able to succeed in her battle. "May no one remember your insanity," Beth whispered before getting up and walking away, heading toward her allies to assist them.

It didn't take the black haired woman to find her fellow two captains, who were standing next to each other and glowing in their aura, healing their wounds. "Guys! You're alright!" Beth exclaimed as she ran over to them, relieved to see they survived.

"Beth!" Leo smiled at the approaching captain. "You made it! I take it you won your battle?"

"Yeah." The female captain nodded slowly. "That knight was not right in the head…"

"What do you mean?" Captain MacArthur asked.

"She was… nevermind," Beth said. "We can talk about that later. We need to help the others right now."

"She's right, we've spent too much time standing here already." Leo agreed as he dispersed his aura. "Let's hurry!"

The other two captain nodded in agreement and soon the trio rushed ahead to help the remaining combatants in their struggles, wanting everyone to succeed.

* * *

Sophia watched with a frightened expression as her leader and her beloved dueled each other. During their fight, Caroline received multiple injuries from Aaron's attacks, but still fought with everything she had. The ginger charged at the possessed knight again, clashing her dual sabers against the steel of Aaron's jagged claymore, entering a small lock with him. Caroline jumped back and tried to do another attack, but was interrupted when the knight kicked her once she got close. The ginger fell onto her back and tried to get up as quickly as she could, but she was again stopped by Aaron when he ran towards her and stomped on her stomach several times. The armor covering the teen's leg only added to damage and pain Caroline felt as she coughed and heaved in agony, holding her abdomen to dull it out.

While Caroline writhed in pain and was temporally out of the fight, Aaron focused his dull grey eyes on Sophia once more, glaring at his target. A shiver ran up the ex-roserade's spine as the possessed knight approached her again; she held up her katana defensively, preparing for the worst. However, instead of charging at the white haired girl like he did before, Aaron stopped in his tracks and raised an open palm at his target, forming a blue aura sphere in it and shooting off toward her. Acting as quickly as she could when she saw him point his hand at her, Sophia raised her own hand and shot off an energy ball to intercept the incoming sphere. But to the ex-roserade's surprise, two more energy balls went off after the first one did, following right behind it. When the first light green ball intercepted Aaron's aura sphere and went off in a small explosion with it, the other two energy balls charged through the smoke and crashed into the possessed knight, enveloping him with a puff of green smoke.

"Wha-? How did I…?" Sophia's eyes widened in astonishment as she looked at the hand that shot the three energy balls at once. "I thought I could only shoot one at a time... so why did-?"

The ex-roserade's thoughts were quickly interrupted when the sound of metal hitting the floor caught her attention, forcing Sophia to raise her katana to block a downwards slash from Aaron's claymore. The ex-roserade moved quickly as she jumped back to get some distance between her and the knight when he attempted to kick her, narrowly dodging the hit. During this time, Sophia rapidly thought to herself on how she could restrain the knight from fighting anymore.

" _C'mon! Think! What can I do to knock Aaron out without hurting…'_ The white haired girl's red orbs lit up once she remembered a move that was up her sleeve. _"Wait… that's it!'_

Sophia drew back her free hand and began to make a powdery yellowish-green substance within it; she stood by and waited for Aaron to make a move, getting her chance once he decided to run towards her again. When he got close enough, Sophia swiped her hand across to release the sleep powder she made onto Aaron's face. Immediately, the possessed knight came to a screeching halt as he accidently inhaled the powder, coughing as it entered his lungs. The teen let out a small groan and shook his head from side to side, trying to shake off the rising fatigue he felt. Aaron's vision got hazy as seconds passed by and his eyelids were starting to get heavy, getting rid of his glare as he stared at Sopha.

"Please sleep, please sleep…" The ex-roserade hoped.

The new black knight slumped his shoulders and slowly began to lean forward; his fatigue began to consume his mind, seemingly forcing him to drift off. But just as Aaron was about to collapse, one of his legs pushed forward and stomped onto the ground, stopping his short-lived fall. The knight crossed his arms together and lashed them out with a small shout, creating a shockwave of aura in his wake. The blue fiery substance brushed off the sleep powder Sophia swiped onto him, and the shockwave itself pushed her back further from Aaron.

Shooting his eyes open and sending the ex-roserade another intense glare, the black knight charged at her with aura covering his body. Aaron sent slash after slash, attacking Sophia relentlessly with his clay-more, intent on killing her. Sophia barely blocked each of strikes with her sword; each attack progressively got more difficult to defend against due to the strength of his aura.

Aaron let out a sharp growl as he imbued more of the fiery substance into his claymore, the blade glowing brightly at this point. Once he stored enough of his aura into it, the black knight swung the claymore toward Sophia's katana. The larger sword smashed through the ex-roserade's blade and shattered it in half, horrifyingly Sophia as she watched the pieces of weapon fall to the floor. The white haired girl did nothing as Aaron rammed his armored shoulder into her chest, which forced her onto the ground with a heavy thud. Sophia crawled backwards to put as much distance between her and the knight as possible to save herself, knowing that she would die if she didn't come up with a plan.

Thinking as fast as she could, the ex-roserade pulled out Aaron's saber and held it in front of her, which was her last means of defense. Aaron advanced toward the fallen girl; large amounts of his aura steamed off his body, making him look as if he was set ablaze in blue flames. He held his glowing claymore maliciously as he got closer, the blade still glowing brightly. As he stood above Sophia, he kicked the saber she barely had a grip on away and placed his boot on her, keeping her from moving. The ex-roserade looked on with terrified eyes as Aaron raised glowing claymore above his head, readying the killing blow. Sophia never thought her life would end like this, to be killed by the person she loved dearly. Tears began to flow down her face as she desperately tried to push his foot off, to no avail.

"A-Aaron… please… Please don't…" Sophia choked out, begging the man she loved not to kill her. "I know you're in there… You can stop this…! Don't do it…! Please…!"

Aaron gave her no response, instead he applied more pressure to his foot to make sure it was secure. The new knight sent her one last soulless glare as he prepared to bring his weapon crashing down; he would kill the ex-roserade as his mistress ordered, and would do whatever objective she give next, for he belonged to her.

At least, he would have, if a blood curdling scream didn't stop the black knight dead in his tracks.

" **AARON! STOP!** "

* * *

Shooting off a small volley of red aura spheres at her target, Melissa groaned in annoyance as the blue knight dodged each of the red balls of light sent her way without too much effort. The brunette fired off another sphere and followed it toward her target. The blue knight dodged the red sphere as she did with the others and used her dual daggers to block an incoming strike from Melissa's double blade. The brunette attempted to strike her opponent with the other blade, but it was once again blocked when the knight diverted her weapons to intercept the attack.

More aggravation struck Melissa as her attacks kept failing one by one. Swinging and slashing her doubled bladed katana, the brunette kept up her attacks, each one continuing to be blocked by the knight. At this point, Melissa let out a low growl and pushed the handle of her weapon against the armored woman, pushing her back with a small ' _clank_ ' and giving the brunette more room to maneuver. Melissa slammed one of the blades of her weapon into the ground and channeled her aura into it, spreading it into the multiple cracks that formed in the ground around the two combatants. Once she stored enough of the red fiery-substance within the cracks, the brunette forced the aura to ignite, causing small explosions to spread around the two women. The knight, before the deadly substance could touch her, made for a small aura hop, escaping the sudden damage she would have received if she stayed there.

Seeing that her opponent was airborne, Melissa aimed and fired another red aura sphere at the heavy armored woman. This time, the crimson sphere managed to connect with the airborne knight, striking into her and sending the armored woman further back in the air. The Aurora recruit removed her weapon from the ground before she followed after the knight, who recovered mid flight and landed on her two feet.

Before her attack could connect, the heavy armored woman slashed her twin daggers against the blade of Melissa's double sword, blocking the incoming jab. The knight continued to block more slashes and stabs sent her way, while also taking several steps back, giving Melissa more and more ground to use. After a few seconds of pure defense, the knight began to become annoyed by the brunette's constant assault and shot a beige colored aura sphere at her feet, forcing Melissa to jump out of the way and breaking her small series of attacks. The brunette's small backflip pushed her further away from her opponent, allowing the two to catch a quick breath during those few seconds.

"Heh, I gotta say, you're not a bad fighter," the knight said with a small smile. "Had you joined us, our queen might have made you into an unstoppable force."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Melissa scowled. "I would _never_ join the likes of you lowlife scumbags, especially not after what you've done to us."

"Hmm, now I'm curious, what have we 'done' to you that made you oppose us?" The knight questioned.

"Don't ask such a stupid question that you know the answer to." The brunette spat. "Your soldiers tried to kill me and nab my friend."

"That can't be it, or at least, not the major reason you're fighting us." The knight's smile slowly grew in length as she said that.

"What are you talking about?" Melissa asked lowly.

"Now it's my turn to tell you not to ask questions you know the answers to," the knight said while taking a step forward, slightly disturbing the Aurora recruit in the process and making her take a step back. "I know there's another reason why you're fighting us."

"You… you don't know what you're talking about!" Melissa called out loudly, still backing up as the blonde knight advanced toward her.

"I don't? Well you told me yourself yesterday, _Melissa_." The armored woman continued. "What was it? 'You're not taking another brother from me'? Heh heh, interesting choice of words, ' _another_ brother', as if we've taken one from you before…"

The brunette remained deathly silent as the knight spoke, feeling her anger swell up slowly within her. Even as she backed slowly away from the knight, Melissa still gave her a demonic glare, wanting the knight to cease her jabbering.

"It's funny. You, and your second in command Aaron, share very similar motivations for fighting Team Bellator. He fights to avenge a friend he lost a year ago, a person who accompanied him on his journey as a trainer." The smug look the knight gave the brunette sent shivers down her spine. "And after I did a little digging, I found out that you tagged along this journey as well…"

"Wh…? How do you…?" Melissa stuttered out.

"Tell me… this boy's name… it was Ryan, wasn't it?" The name forced Melissa to stop moving completely and made her brown orbs widen slightly, giving the armored woman her answer. "Ryan Hertz, a boy with strawberry blonde hair and deep blue eyes that disappeared at the age of eighteen in Castelia City."

"S… shut up…" Melissa breathed quietly.

"Oh! I'm sorry… What I meant to say was that he was _killed_ at the age of eighteen, for refusing to join a glorious cause."

"Stop… shut up…" Melissa began to shake where she stood, feeling the knight's words bounce around her head. "Shut the fuck up…"

"I'm sure Aaron's told you how Ryan died, right? By getting stabbed in the back by a... _dagger_?" the knight said as she twirled one of her small weapons in her hand, her wide smile transforming into a devilish toothy grin.

"Y… you…?" It only took a second for the brunette to connect all the dots. How the knight knew about Ryan, about his death, and why it was Melissa's motivation to fight Team Bellator. Her eyes lit up with more shock upon the realization. "You… k… ki…?"

"That's right sweet pea…" The knight chuckled. " _I_ killed your little friend…"

"No… n-no…" Melissa felt her heart skip a beat when she heard the armored woman's words. Images of her dead friend flashed before her eyes, all of which showed his face smiling brightly. It only caused more pain to strike Melissa's heart as she started to breath heavily.

"Hey, you wanna know what his last words were?" the knight asked in a dark voice before changing it to a mocking tone. "'Heh, guess you stabbed me in the back, huh?' Ha ha ha! He could have said anything else, and he chose to go out with that! What a moron!"

"Stop… stop it…" Melissa whispered, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "Just stop…"

"Oh, this is priceless…!" The knight's laughter got louder. "What do you want me to stop, huh? From calling him a moron? Well guess what? That's exactly what Ryan was; a moron, a buffoon, and an idiot. And now, he's dead because of it."

"Stop it…" The brunette's tears were already streaming down her face. However, despite the fact that she was crying, her expression got darker the more the knight continued to mock her dead friend, awakening a deadly anger within the recruit. "S **top** … **IT** …"

"Aww… do you miss your little friend?" The armored woman continued to taunt Melissa, slowly breaking out into a run to attack her. "Well, don't you worry! You'll be seeing him _very_ soon!"

"Shut up, **shut** … **UP** …!" Melissa's eyes slowly began to darken, becoming more enraged by the second. The anger within her swelled up to the point where her aura burst off violently from her body in dangerous amounts, pushing the charging knight back when she was close. " **SHUT THE FUCK UP!** " Melissa roared out, quickly opening her raging dilated eyes that were constantly pouring out red aura.

"What the-?!" The knight gasped as she witnessed the brunette fume. The fiery substance extended off of Melissa greatly, growing several feet in length. Even the deep frown that barred Melissa's teeth sent shivers down the armored woman's spine as she continued to stare in horror, feeling her demonic glare burn into her very soul. "What on earth...?! How are you-?!"

The woman with blue armor never got her chance to finish once Melissa vanished and reappeared right in front of her in the span of a second. When she did, the brunette cleaved one of her aura infused blades into the knight destructively, smashing through her armor as if it were made out of paper mache. The knight didn't even have time to gasp when Melissa slashed her again with the other blade, which held the same violent damage as the first attack. The incredibly enraged brunette kept attacking the woman with extreme speed, cleaving through her several times without hesitation and unleashing every ounce of rage she had on Ryan's murderer.

After her violent assault slowed down, Melissa kicked the knight onto the floor and jumped after her, stabbing her double blade into the woman's chest when they connected on the ground. The once heavy armor of the knight was now nothing more than scrap, barely hanging on the bloody woman and litter across the floor in small fragments. The woman's dying eyes looked fearfully into Melissa's enraged orbs as she brought her face closer, her eyes still burning with red aura.

" **You** … **will** _ **never**_ **hurt another person**." Melissa seethed at the knight darkly. **"Never**... **AGAIN**."

All the knight could do was gurgle in response, due to the blood that was pouring from her mouth. The flaring brunette removed her blade from the woman's chest, earning another short and pained gasp from her as she let out her final breath. Melissa huffed several times as she glared into her dead enemy's eyes, seeing the fear that covered them in her final moments.

Slowly, the heavy amounts of red aura began to dissipate from Melissa's body and eyes, returning the brunette to her normal state. Her brown orbs were no longer dilated in rage, now that most of it was unleashed from her system. Melissa has never felt so many emotions hit her at once, and she never thought she could get so enraged to the point where her aura would flare because of it. It was at this moment when the recruit was glad that Aaron and Sophia didn't bare witness to her violent rampage.

" _Oh no…'_ Melissa's brown orbs widened when she realized she had completely forgotten her nightmare, remembering the situation that Aaron and Sophia were in right now. Turning around and running like there was no tomorrow, Melissa sprinted toward her friends, hoping that she was not too late to save them.

It didn't take long for the brunette to see her friends; her eyes widened in shock when she saw what transpired before her. Aaron loomed over a fallen Sophia, kicking away the saber she held and pinning her with his armored foot. The possessed knight raised his claymore to deliver the killing blow, the action sending shivers down the brunette's spine.

Melissa wanted to yell at the teen to stop, but she felt something block her, an invisible force that kept her from speaking. The same force sapped away a certain feeling from Melissa, causing her to peer down at the dark gem she wore as a necklace. Knowing this was stopping her from saving her friends, the brunette grabbed the necklace by the string and yanked it off, feeling completely free now that the gem was no longer touching her.

" **AARON! STOP!** " Melissa shouted at the top of her lungs, unknowingly causing her eyes to glow in the process.

An invisible shockwave emanating off of the brunette during her shout, striking the knight at full force and making him cease all movement. Aaron gasped and widened his grey eyes as he felt a sharp pain rush through his head, causing him to drop the large sword he gripped to hold his head.

"Please Aaron… don't kill Sophia!" Melissa yelled once more, her words sending more pained jolts through the possessed teen's mind. "Don't follow that monster's orders!"

Aaron staggered back and off of Sophia, feeling more agony spike him as Melissa yelled at him. The ex-roserade propped herself up as she stared at the knight, seeing the pain that covered his grey eyes. Despite her shock, the white haired girl knew that whatever Melissa was doing was working, since Aaron was no longer trying to kill her.

"Please, please come back…" The brunette begged with tearful eyes, the energy within them increasing. "I've… I've already lost Ryan… I can't lose you too! Break free from that monster's control! Come back to us!"

The knight dropped to his knees and let out a small shout as Melissa's words struck him, shutting his eyes tightly and increasing the grip he had on his head. The three Aurora captains appeared then, each one at a lost of words as they stared at the knight. Even Caroline was confused by the ordeal as she got up and watched, not knowing how Aaron was brought to his knees by a few words.

"COME BACK AARON!" Melissa screamed one more time, creating another shockwave that hit the knight. Another gasp left Aaron as he let his arms drop to his sides, lowering his head and closing his eyes as his mind went blank.

Silence filled the air around the group as they stared at the fallen commander, watching him with extreme precision. Melissa's brown orbs finally ceased their glowing as she looked at her close freind, feeling incredibly tense as she did. Meanwhile, Sophia crawled toward Aaron, both hoping the commander was free and fearful if he was still under the queen's control.

Once the teen stirred, everyone tensed up and listened to his low groan. Aaron raised his head and opened his eye once more, the once soulless grey irises were now restored back to a chocolate brown. His eyes opened up more as he peered at the kneeling white haired girl in front of him, seeing the worried look plastered on her face.

"S… So…" The teen mumbled. "So… phia…?"

"Aaron…?" The ex-roserade choked, tears streamed down her face again. They weren't tears of sadness however, instead they were filled with joy when she heard the commander say her name. The two continued to stare into each other's eyes for a few second before Aaron wrapped his arms around the white haired girl and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Sophia!" He smiled brightly as he held her.

"Aaron!" The ex-roserade was quick to return the hug, overjoyed that Aaron was back. The armor he wore was cold and hard, but Sophia tried to ignore this as much as possible to return the affection to the man she loved.

The group fell at ease when the duo hugged, lowering their weapons and sighing in relief as they did. Melissa in particular felt a surge of happiness consume her as Aaron returned, running towards them and getting into the embrace they shared.

"Melissa…!" Aaron said as he felt the brunette wrap her arm around him and Sophia, happy to see her.

"I'm so glad you guys are safe!" Melissa mumbled, rubbing her head against Aaron's. "I'm so glad…!"

Sophia removed herself from the tight embrace-as much as she didn't want to-to retrieve Aaron's saber that was knocked out of her hands from before. "This… belongs to you," she said with a smile, presenting the sword to the teen.

Aaron reached out to take his weapon, but stopped himself midway when he saw the shattered remains of the ex-roserade's katana. After a second of thinking to himself, Aaron denied the saber with a small push, still giving her a smile.

"Keep it for now, you'll need it," he said, earning a nod from Sophia as she held onto it. The three got on their feet and gave each other another joyful smile before turning to the rest of the group.

"So, you're back for good?" Caroline asked her second in command with a grin.

"Yeah, I won't-" Aaron started to say, but stopped when he saw the condition the ginger was in. The Aurora leader was covered in injuries, and most of her armor was dented up from the battle. "What the-?! Did… did I do that to you...?!" Aaron gasped.

Caroline dropped her small smile as she answered with a nod. "It wasn't your fault though, that lunatic made you attack us. I'll be fine," she said.

"Still, I'm sorry for this Carol." Aaron frowned. "I'm really am."

"Like I said, this is not your fault," the ginger said again. "I just need a vacation once this is all over…"

"We all do." Beth agreed as she motioned around to the entire group, getting nods from everyone.

"So, now what?" Aaron questioned.

"There's only one thing left to do," Melissa said as she tied the string of her necklace, putting the dark gem back in its place. "We go after the leader and finish her off, once and for-"

The brunette was interrupted when everyone aside from Aaron, Sophia, and herself was covered in a light blue energy. The captains and Caroline gasped as they were pushed back violently and were forced onto the floor. When they got pushed back far enough, several large and thick steel bars fell from the ceiling and into the floor, cutting the group off from the trio. Sophia, Aaron, and Melissa watched in horror as they were separated from their comrades.

"W-what the hell?! What just happened?!" Leo exclaimed.

Caroline groaned and tried to speak, but stopped as she looked at a figure that was standing at the top of the staircase leading up to the throne. Her green orbs widened when she found out who it was, and stared fearfully as the figure watched them.

"B-behind…! Behind you!" Caroline shouted at three behind the bars.

The trio quickly turned and looked at the top of the stairs, feeling their blood run cold as they stared at Viola, who was dressed in the dark grey battle gown she wore in the city. The queen held her scimitar in hand, which was pulsing in dark blue aura. The purple haired woman's glare went back and forth between Melissa and Sophia, not knowing which of the two she would focus her anger on.

"Y'know, I didn't think it was possible, but you fools really did it." The queen slowly walked down the stairs, each step sending fear into the hearts of the trio below. The closer the queen got, the more visible the rage on her face became to the three.

" **You've pissed me off**." Viola seethed.


	24. Chapter 24

Sophia, Aaron, and Melissa watched in fear as the Bellator queen slowly descended down the steps of her throne, holding on to their weapons tightly as she did. Aaron scrambled to pick up the claymore he had when he was possessed, having no choice but to use the large sword for the oncoming battle. The trio slowly backed up toward the heavy metal bars that separated them from the rest of the group, who could only watch as Viola came closer to the floor.

"Fall back! Fall back!" A feminine voice cried out from behind Caroline's group. They turned around to see the Aurora soldiers running from a Bellator force that greatly outnumbered them. The retreating troops were forced to come to a stop once they reached the bars, and stood beside the three captains and their leader as the large defending force approached.

"This… is _really_ bad," Leo said grimly.

"What should we do ma'am?" Beth asked the Aurora leader.

Caroline's emerald eyes scanned the huge opposing group of soldiers heading their way, wondering how they could fight such a large number with their small company. After the ginger finished, she glanced back at the trio behind the bars, seeing them watching the Bellator leader as she walked. A ping of worry struck the Aurora leader, fearful that Sophia and her friends were in deep trouble.

"Well, our situation is dire," Caroline sighed out, gripping her sabers tightly. "We're injured, cornered, and are outnumbered by a force that won't show us any mercy. To top it off, their leader is right behind us and is about to face some of our best soldiers. We only have one option."

"We hold out as long as we can." Captain MacArthur finished.

The Aurora leader nodded before placing both of her sabers in one hand to fish out a pokeball strapped to her utility belt. Caroline tossed the red and white sphere in the air to release her flygon, which roared out as it hovered above the group. The ginger didn't want her dragon to be in great danger, knowing that it would pose as a large target. But she also knew this battle could be her last, and the group needed everything they had if they wanted to hold out.

Both Beth and Mac followed their leader's example and grabbed their own poke-balls, tossing them and releasing their pokemon as well. A ho-oh and gyarados appeared next to the flygon, roaring out at the oncoming force that marched toward them. However, the army came to a halt a several yards away from the group, stopping once they received a signal. Confused, Caroline turned around to glance behind the bars, seeing the Bellator queen holding her hand up at the army to stop. She stood on the stairs, still glaring at the trio below.

"I don't think I've _ever_ been this mad in my life." Viola seethed. "You heathens dare trespass into _my_ castle, and you have the audacity to kill all four of my knights!" The queen kept switching her glare between Melissa and Sophia, still not knowing who to focus her anger on. "And somehow, you've gone and corrupted Aaron, _**again**_! I'm not sure how you did it, but I'll make sure that you'll never do it again!"

" _Corrupt him_?" Melissa rasped at the queen. "If anyone's corrupting Aaron, it's YOU! I've never seen him look so lifeless when he was under your control, and he was like that because of you! We saved him from that mess, you lunatic!"

"Silence, you filth!" Viola yelled. "There's no amount of false claims or begging that will save you from my wrath! You'll pay for what you've done!"

"Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?!" Melissa fired back. "Well guess what? After I'm done kicking your ass, you're the one who's gonna beg for their life!"

The bellator queen laughed at the brunette's threat. "Kick my ass you say? Have you forgotten that I defeated three of you at once? Alone? Along with not going all out?"

"It's different now!" Sophia joined in. "This time, you won't succeed!"

"Quite the claim you've got there, little roserade." Viola frowned. "And do tell, how is it different this time?"

"Because we have him!" Melissa yelled, pointing a finger at Aaron. "And I know for a fact that with him, we can take you down!"

Rather than refute the enraged brunette, the queen focused her gaze on Aaron. He was glaring at her, and made the blade of his claymore glow in aura once she set her violet orbs on him. The action made the Bellator queen frown sadly, which replaced the angered state she was in.

"I… don't want to hurt you, Aaron. But seeing as how they've corrupted you again, I'll have to use drastic measures," Viola said before casting a small smile on her face. "But don't worry, my love! Once I'm finished dealing with these barbarians, I'll save you! And we can be together again, just like how we're meant to be!"

"You… will _never_ have me again." Aaron rasped at the queen.

"Ha! See?! Things have changed you bitch!" Melissa laughed!

Viola sent another sympathetic look to Aaron, then went back to glaring at the brunette next to him. However, to the confusion of the trio, the purple haired woman started to laugh, which slowly grew in volume as she continued.

"You know what? You're right, it is different this time. But not for the reasons you fools think," she said. "You see, when we fought in the city, I didn't go all out. Why? Because I wanted to show you idiots what little of a chance you had against me. But now…"

The Bellator queen's violet eyes began to glow brightly with energy, and her body was concealed in the transparent substance. The purple haired woman started to levitate off the ground with her psychic power, showing off what she was truly capable of to the group below.

"I intend to use every bit of power I have to make you savages suffer before death, _slowly_ …" Viola seethed darkly.

"I will not allow you to do that!" Aaron yelled defiantly. "I swear on my life that I will stop you, right here and now!"

"We will defeat you!" Melissa chimed in.

"And we'll make sure that you'll never hurt another person, ever again," Sophia said.

Viola continued her glare for couple more seconds, then proceeded to laugh again. "Very well then! MEN! Annihilate the scum before you!"

Viola's eyes glowed slightly brighter as she gave the order, which spread to the army on the other side of the bars. The bellator force noticeably gave the Aurora soldiers vicious looks, their eyes seemingly glowing along with their queen's, albeit not as brightly. Following Viola's order, the army charged at the small force, wanting their blood to spill greatly.

Caroline pointed one of her sabers at the army, shouting out, "CHARGE!" in a loud voice. The company yelled out a battle-cry in unison and ran towards the incoming mob. The three pokemon above followed suite, firing different projectiles at the army when they got close. Caroline's flygon shot off several dragon breaths and flamethrowers. Meanwhile, Mac's gyarados and Beth's ho-oh blasted off hydro pumps and sacred fires, respectively. The combined moves managed to take out a large portion of the mob, but they still charged at the group relentlessly. The two sides met once more, clashing violently with each other as sounds of battle filled the air. Caroline, Mac, Beth, and Leo took on several soldiers on their own while the rest of the company fought off one or two soldiers at a time.

On the other side of the heavy bars, the trio readied themselves, waiting for Viola to make the first move. The purple haired woman smiled as she raised her free hand and aimed it at Melissa, preparing to use her telekinetic powers on the brunette.

"Let's see you talk after I crush a few of your bones!" The queen boasted.

Aaron's eyes widened as he turned toward the brunette, knowing first hand at what Viola could do to her. "Melissa! Get out of the way!" he yelled.

The brunette didn't move however, and flinched when Viola's hand glowed brightly with energy. But after a few seconds passed, nothing happened to the teen, to much of the queen's and Aaron's confusion.

"Eh…?" The queen breathed as she glanced at her hand. She tried again, only to have the same results reoccurred. Even Melissa checked her own body to make sure the psychic powers weren't affecting her. "What the-?! Why isn't it working?!" Viola yelled in confusion, gawking at the hand she tried to use.

Unbeknownst to the violet haired woman, Melissa quickly launched a red aura sphere toward her while she was distracted. As soon as she looked up, the crimson projectile crashed into the queen, reeling her back and forcing Viola to groan in pain. The brunette took advantage of the chance as quickly as possible, firing more spheres at the levitating queen. Sophia and Aaron joined in as well, throwing their own projectiles into the mix to maximize the damage.

Viola quickly recovered from the first attack and saw the barrage of aura spheres coming her way. The Bellator queen waved her free hand in several motions, creating a pink transparent barrier in the process. When the barrage got close, each of the spheres smashed into the screen, never reaching their intended target. Once the last of the projectiles got intercepted, the barrier cracked and dispersed, evaporating into the air afterward.

Now that she was free of taking damage, Viola swooped down toward the trio with her blade at the ready. The group charged at the queen as well, each preparing their weapons for a strike. The combatants reached each other in a matter of seconds; Viola and Aaron entered a sword lock while Sophia and Melissa smashed their blades against the side barriers the queen created mid-flight. The screens, while cracking, remained intact enough to stop the two women from striking Viola.

The Bellator queen touched the ground and raised her right leg, infusing the foot in her dark blue aura. When she slammed it down onto the floor, a blue fire-like shockwave emitted and hit the trio, pushing them back a great distance from the queen. Each of the teens fell onto the ground, but Aaron and Melissa recovered relatively fast, and charged at Viola again when they got up. Sophia pushed herself up as well, and followed her friends as they ran, not far behind them.

Viola raised her free hand and aimed it at Melissa, who was leading the small charge. A pink ring formed in the queen's palm, and was launched with great speed at the brunette. Two more rings followed the first, each one getting closer to Melissa. However, to the queen's-and the group's-surprise, the pink projectiles had no effect on the teen when they made contact, evaporating when they touched her.

"W-what?!" Viola gasped.

As soon as the brunette got close enough, she rapidly swung the blades of her double sword at the Bellator queen, forcing her to go on the defensive. During Melissa's attack, Viola could make out the small necklace she wore, along with the gem that dangled on it. Unfortunately for the queen, she could only get a quick second glance before forced right back into blocking the slashes heading toward her.

Irritated by the nonstop attacks coming her way, Viola used her psychic powers to levitate once again. The queen flew back to avoid several more slashes from Melissa and to recover in the air. But the Bellator queen had no time to rest, for Aaron jumped after her with a aura hop. His claymore met the woman's scimitar again, the two blades grinding in a fierce lock. It remained that way only for a second however, as Viola quickly kicked the teen away from her, knocking him out of the air and onto the ground with a groan. A ping of sadness struck the purple haired woman when she hit Aaron, hating the fact that she brought more pain onto him. But the queen had to push these feelings aside, knowing that she needed to focus on the battle at hand.

Sophia, who was standing next to Aaron when he hit the floor, began to spin in place rapidly. As she did, sharp pink petals started to form and rotate around the ex-roserade in great amounts. The petals were then launched at the flying queen, who didn't have enough time to create another barrier to block another attack. The sharp leaves struck Viola at a fast pace, emitting a pained yell from her as she tried to get away from the deadly onslaught.

It wasn't long until Sophia stopped, feeling fatigued from spinning too much. The ex-roserade shook her head in a attempt to push off the grogginess she felt and aimed her hand at Viola, albeit poorly. Like before, more sharp leaves formed around her arm and rotated quickly. When enough were created, the petals shot out at the queen in a rapid succession, pounding her violently with the leaf storm. Because of Sophia's poor aim however, some of the petals missed their target as she flew about, allowing the queen to make another protective screen to block out the last of the projectiles before they caused serious damage to her.

Underneath the Bellator queen, Melissa ran while she was distracted and positioned herself behind Viola. The brunette took aim and fired a red aura sphere at her enemy, striking her painfully on the back. The queen groaned before sharply turning herself around to glare at Melissa. Letting out an angered growl, Viola swooped down toward the recruit and started swinging her sword viciously. The brunette struggled to block the several wild strikes, slowly walking back as she was assaulted. The queen quickly forced an opening after she savagely clashed her weapon against Melissa's, and struck the brunette with a heavy aura punch to the face. The recruit gasped and stumbled back, dazed by the powerful strike.

Before the queen could continue her attack however, the sounds of metal footsteps caught her attention and forced Viola to swiftly turn around to block a downwards slash from Aaron's claymore. Within a second, the bellator queen made her purple eyes glow brightly again, causing psychic energy to envelope around the commander and constrain him. Aaron gasped and groaned as he tried to break free, feeling himself getting weaker the longer he was trapped. Seeing this, Viola pulled her sword away and threw her free hand back, creating and launching a aura sphere at Melissa without looking. The projectile smashed into the dazed teen and forced her back toward the base of the narrow staircase, furthering her already great amount of tiredness.

Viola placed her palm against Aaron's chin, slowly caressing him as she look into his struggling glare. "I'm sorry for this, my love," she whispered. "But I have no choice but to bring harm onto you again to save you… I don't want to do this, so please, forgive me for what I'm-"

"Get away from him!" Sophia's voice cried out, quickly catching Viola's gaze as she charged toward her. The queen growled in annoyance before she aimed her free hand at the ex-roserade and shot off three more pink rings. But just like with Melissa, the three projectiles had no effect on Sophia when they connected. The queen let out a now angered groan, furiously wondering why her psychic based attacks did nothing to the two girls. Viola pulled away from the immobile Aaron in order to intercept Sophia's attack, entering a lock with her in the process. But instead of pushing into the lock, Sophia drew back one of her hands and covered it in a poisonous material, then slammed it repeatedly into the queen's gut. Viola immediately gasped out in pain from the multiple jabs and felt her focus on her psychic power break, releasing Aaron from the telekinetic prison in the process. Now free, the commander let out a soft groan as he was in a weakened state, but tried his best to recover once he ran over to Sophia and Viola.

Hearing Aaron's heavy footsteps march behind her, the ex-roserade ceased her poisonous jabs and broke out of the sword lock. She quickly spun around the queen to give the commander an opening. Still dazed by the multiple hits she received, Viola didn't have time to block the horizontal slash from Aaron's claymore. The cut gashed the Bellator queen's stomach, earning a cry of pain from her as she held the new wound. To make it worse for Viola, Melissa had charged from behind and slashed vertically down her back, leaving a long bloody line upon its wake.

Knowing she wouldn't survive if she stayed there any longer, Viola aura hopped into the air and levitated, narrowly dodging another of the brunette's attacks. The Bellator queen rushed over to the top of her throne and placed her aura clad hand on her wound. The blue fire-like substance covered her stomach and healed the cut, slowly closing it and stopping it from bleeding anymore. Once finished, Viola panted and glared at the trio briefly before she raised her simitar above her head. The sword glowed brightly with her dark aura; the blade itself was charging up as it absorbed more energy, glowing brighter as it did.

"D-damn it! She's using that attack from before!" Melissa yelled, staring at the weapon with wide eyes.

"What can we do?!" Sophia questioned loudly. "There's no way we can block that kind of attack!"

Aaron stepped forward, eyeing the queen as she charged her blade. "Not by normal means, no," he said as he reared back his claymore and made it glow in the same manner as Viola's. However, unlike the queen's, the commander's blade charged up at a much faster rate, allowing him catched up with her.

"Aaron, what are you-?" Melissa tried to ask.

"Get behind me, now!" The teen barked.

Sophia and Melissa shared a quick glance with each other before they followed Aaron's order and moved behind him. Both watched as the commander and the queen charged their blades, which only took a few more seconds for both to complete. When ready, both vanished completely and reappeared in the air within an intense sword lock. Both of the teen's weapons started to absorb large amounts of energy as they pushed against each other, glowing extremely bright as they did. It only lasted for a few seconds before a massive blue explosion erupted between the two, blasting them away and creating a shockwave that hit Sophia and Melissa. Neither were able to stand their ground as they pushed onto their backs, feeling the great force that Aaron and Viola's aura had.

After the large pulse ceased, both girls quickly got back onto their feet and saw the aftermath before their eyes. The flames of blue aura still lingered in the air, evaporating at a slow rate. On the ground, Viola laid on the floor near the steps of her throne, seemingly motionless. Aaron, who was not far from Melissa and Sophia, was also lying on the ground. He was visibly panting from the exhaustion and injures the attack gave him, and his armor was heavily damaged, but still remained intact. The teen was missing his right gauntlet however. Not wasting anymore time, Sophia and Melissa raced over to their fallen friend and helped him up when they reached him.

"Ugh… let's hope I don't have to do that again," Aaron groaned as he got up. "I… I can't take another hit like that…"

"Holy crap Aaron, that was amazing!" Melissa praised. "How'd you know that would block her attack?"

"To be honest… I didn't." The armored teen admitted. "But when she started using an ultra slash, I thought I could counter it with my own to cancel it out. It payed offed, thankfully."

"Ultra slash? Is that what you two used?" Sophia asked.

"Yes. It's a very advanced move," Aaron said. "It takes a while to charge up, but when it's complete-"

A series of coughs cut the commander off and made the group tense up. All eyes were now on Viola, who groaned lowly as she got up. The armor on her dress was heavily damaged from the explosion, and the dress itself had several tares in it. The right gauntlet on her arm was all but scrap now and the sleeve was burnt off, which revealed her milky skin.

"She's still conscious?!" Melissa yelled in a surprised tone. "Man, she's study!"

"That's… it…" Viola breathed out. "Playtime… is over…!"

"Viola! Give it up!" Aaron called out to the queen. "You're injured and outnumbered! Surrender while you still can!"

" _So that's her name…'_ Sophia thought to herself, finally learning the name of her enemy.

"That's just the corruption talking, sweetheart!" Viola laughed. "It's unfortunate that I have to hurt you, but it must be done!"

The Bellator queen crossed her arms across her chest and inhaled deeply. After several seconds, the purple haired woman lashed her arms out and let out a loud battle cry to the ceiling. Extreme amounts of aura burst from her form once she did and extended greatly from her body, making the queen look as if she was set aflame.

Raising her arms again, Viola created large blue aura spheres in each hand and shot them into the air. The large spheres were followed by several more and lingered in the air. A dozen spheres in total levitated above, all of which sent great amounts of worry and fear into the trio below.

"Oh no…" Melissa whispered, all too familiar with this type of situation.

The Bellator queen smiled maliciously before snapping her aura clad fingers. The large aura sphere came to life afterward, and start shooting off large amounts of smaller aura spheres at the ground. Sophia, Aaron, and Melissa scattered to try and dodge the oncoming storm of deadly projectiles, but none of them were able to truly get away. Each of the three got pelted by aura spheres, with Sophia getting hit the most out of the trio. They yelled and gasped in agony as the bullet hell continued for what seemed like forever causing a great deal of damage to them in the process.

The shower from hell finally came to an end after several agonizing seconds, and the large aura spheres in the air dispersed into nothing. The trio groaned from the immense pain they felt, knowing they couldn't take much more punishment. Aaron and Sophia stood near each other when they scattered, and Melissa was not too far from them. The brunette turned to the throne to glance at the Viola, but was surprised when she saw that no one was there. The Bellator queen was nowhere to be seen.

"What the...? Where's-?"

Melissa wasn't able to finish speaking, due to Viola reappearing right in front of her. The queen lunged at the necklace the brunette wore and wrapped her fingers around it. Then, the Bellator queen rammed a aura infused kick into the teen's stomach, which sent her flying back to her comrades. Melissa got up from the assault, but felt something was amiss. When she reached around her neck, the brunette's brown orbs widened when she realized her necklace was gone. Her eyes were on Viola now, watching fearfully as the queen held the dark gem she had.

Viola inspected the black diamond closely, feeling the darkness that emitted from the rock. Not only that, but the queen could feel her psychic powers cancel out the longer she held the gem. Viola now had her answer as to why Sophia and Melissa were immune to her attacks from before, and smiled as she looked onto the group ahead.

"So this is how you blocked out my powers," Viola said aloud. "I'll admit, it was a nice trick while it lasted."

The Bellator queen released the gem from her grip and let it hit the ground near her. Storing more aura into her foot, Viola raised her leg and swiftly stomped on the rock, crushing it immediately. The shards gave under the queen's heel and spread throughout the floor. Black smoke came off of each of the pieces before evaporating into nothing. This only made Viola's smile grow in length as she glanced back up at Melissa, who wore a terrified expression on her face.

The purple haired woman raised her arm in the brunette's direction and made her violet eyes glow brightly. To the group's horror, Melissa was quickly enveloped in Viola's psychic energy, which started to weaken her body the longer she was trapped. The teen gasped and tried to escape, but the power was too strong for her to break. The queen swung her arm toward the right, which in turn caused Melissa to violently soar through the air and slam into the marble wall. The teen could only scream in agony as she made contact with it, her pain only increasing as seconds went by.

Viola flinged the trapped brunette back toward her allies, who stood frozen as they watched their friend suffer under the queen's telekinetic prowess. Aaron was the only one to narrowly dodge the incoming teen, who crashed into Sophia and knocked her onto the ground. An extreme ping of pain struck the white haired girl when she felt the psychic energy around Melissa touch her, and it served to cause her more anguish as she laid on the floor, completely dazed.

Melissa's pained flight didn't stop when she hit the ex-roserade, and she kept soaring until she was once again slammed into the adjacent wall. The brunette's damage was worse when she made contact, and her cries of agony only got louder because of it. Viola smiled at the teen's anguish as she yanked her from the wall and slammed Melissa onto the ground with incredible force. The brunette remained silent as her pummeled body stayed still on the ground. When the telekinetic prison was lifted, Melissa attempted to move, but her limbs immediately screamed in protest, for she was beyond her limits now. A final gasp escaped her lips before she eventually slipped into unconsciousness.

"MELISSA!" Aaron cried out to his fallen friend and tried to run over to her. However, the armor teen was stopped when the same psychic energy that covered the brunette now took a hold of him. He grimaced at the power around him before glaring at Viola, who had her hand aimed towards him.

"Let. Me. GO!" Aaron screamed as he used whatever strength he had left to break the prison, which was beginning to weaken him. To the queen's astonishment, the energy around the armored teen was starting to crack under the raw strength of his aura. Knowing he would escape if this kept up, Viola was forced to raise Aaron into the air with her powers, leaving him vulnerable to attack.

"Forgive me…" the queen whispered.

Viola swatted her hand downwards, which in turn made Aaron slam into the ground with great might. A agonizing scream came from the teen, which had sent jolts of high guilt through the queen. She kept her eyes closed as she swiped her hand upward, sending Aaron through the air and into the ceiling above. He gasped upon impact, and was soon brought onto the ground again with the same amount of force.

By now, the telekinetic energy around the armored teen dispersed as he laid on the ground, flat on his back. Small groans and coughs came from the teen as he attempted to get up. The Bellator queen saw this however, and raised her arm toward his direction again. This time, a pink ring formed in her palm, which seemed to glow brighter than the ones she used before.

"F-forgive… me…" Viola whispered again, her voice-along with her body-trembling with regret. "My love…"

The pink ring shot off from her hand, and was followed by two more. Each of the projectiles struck into the downed teen, invoking more pained screams from him as they connected. Not only did the rings cause damage to Aaron, but they also continued to weaken him for several seconds after they hit him. Viola once again closed her violet orbs before firing another volley at the armored teen.

Then another.

And another.

More and more of Aaron's terrible gasps echoed in the queen's ears as each volley struck him at full force. Pain had already consumed his body when the last of the rings connected; Aaron could barely move his body at this point. The battered commander tried to lift his arm up, but it was only raised a few inches off the ground before plopping right back down. The teen groaned lowly once more, signaling that he could no longer continue to battle.

Viola stared at the fallen Aaron sympathetically, hating that she put him in such a state. When she deducted that he wouldn't fight anymore, the queen turned her attention to the final combatant in the area. Sophia was still on the floor, just now exiting her daze when Melissa slammed into her. The moment she opened her eyes however, the ex-roserade gasped in horror as she saw her two close friends lay defeated on the floor. Sophia couldn't believe that they were defeated so quickly in the time she was out, nor could she believe that she was on her own now. She quickly scrambled onto her feet and held Aaron's saber in both hands tightly. Sophia kept her fearful crimson orbs on the Bellator queen as she backed up slowly, which had made the purple haired woman chuckle in amusement.

"You have one of those stones too, don't you?" Viola asked with a small grin, not expecting the scared girl to answer. "Eh, It doesn't matter now. Besides, I planned on annihilating you with _this_ anyway."

The queen held her scimitar over her shoulder again, and made it shine brightly like before. However, not only did the blade gather energy at a much faster rate, but it was also gaining a lot more than before. Sophia nonetheless shuddered at the charging attack, knowing she would most likely perish should it connect.

Thinking as quickly as she could, the ex-roserade aimed and fired a energy ball at the queen, which was followed by two more. At this point, Sophia was doing whatever she could to interrupted the attack. Unfortunately for the white haired girl, all three of the green projectiles missed when Viola vanished and reappeared in the same spot, along with the sword she held that was still charging. Not bothering to try and comprehend how the queen did that, the ex-roserade blasted a leaf storm from both her hands right towards the purple haired woman. But once again, Sophia's attack failed, for Viola created a psychic barrier to block the incoming shower of sharp petals.

Once the onslaught of leaves ceased, the blade of the queen's scimitar finished absorbing energy and glowly brilliantly. The blade itself was pure black now, not having the blue hue on it from before. A sinister smile replaced Viola's small grin before she vanished again. Sophia didn't have time to gasp in shock when the queen reappeared in front of her with her down, as if she had already struck the ex-roserade.

Suddenly, and violently, Sophia's entire body arched up as a large slash appeared and ripped through her clothes and armor. She screamed in terribly agony as blood gushed through the wound and stained her roserade dress. The red liquid poured from her mouth, which was choking back another of the white haired girl's screams. Before she could register what was happening, Sophia was violently struck by a aura infused kick from the Bellator queen, and flew back into a nearby pillar. The ex-roserade coughed out more blood upon impact, but was surprisingly still on her feet, albeit on the verge of collapsing completely. Aaron's saber fell from Sophia's loose grip as her vision got extremely hazey. Even time seemed to slow down for her as she tried to look ahead.

"Hmph, I'm a little surprised that you're still standing." Viola's voice called out and echoed in the ex-roserade's head. "But we both know that you're about to collapse at any second now."

"Gh… gah… ahgg…" Sophia attempted to speak, but her words only came out as gurgles and pained moans.

"Tell you what? Why don't you fall over and let me put you to rest?" Despite the death-like state she was in, the ex-roserade could make out the mocking chuckle Viola let out. "I'll make it quick, I promise…"

"Kh… ghhh… ahh…" Sophia gurgled again.

"It's okay… just lay down, and let me end your misery, _little roserade_." Viola smiled viciously.

Darkness had begun to consume Sophia's vision, and she could feel whatever energy she had left fade away. Her eyelids were felt heavy and were difficult to keep open, along with her legs feeling like jelly. Ever so slowly, the ex-roserade tumbled forward, allowing more darkness to take over.

"That's it…" Viola's voice echoed.

More darkness.

"And don't worry either…"

Nothing but darkness as the white haired girl fell forward.

"I'll make sure to take _good_ _care_ of Aaron when you're gone…"

"Ghh!"

Sophia forced one of her legs forward to stop her fall completely. A small gasp escaped her lips before she coughed up any remaining blood in her mouth. At that moment, the ex-roserade felt a surge of power zap through her body. It was strange, the energy she felt was familiar, like aura, but it was something entirely different at the same time.

" _I want- no... I_ need _you to promise me something, Sophia."_ Melissa's words echoed in Sophia's head. _"I need you to promise me that you'll make those bastards pay for hurting and capturing Aaron. I need you to promise me that you'll save him with every fiber in your being. Can you promise me that, Sophia?"_

The surge of power was getting stronger as the memory channeled through the ex-roserade's head. During this, a sudden but small shake stirred throughout the castle, which had taken the queen off guard while she stared at Sophia in confusion.

"Huh? What was that?" Viola gasped slightly at the small tremor.

"N… n-no…" Sophia breathed out, feeling the surge gain more power.

"Eh?" The queen now had her attention back on the ex-roserade, overhearing her whisper.

"I… I-I won't… let you…" Sophia mumbled.

Another tremble shook through the castle, this time being larger than the last one. The sudden tremor made a sizable portion of the fighting force on the other side of the bars cease their battle. Caroline was among that number, and once she got a glimpse through the bars, what she saw made her gasp in shock.

"What are you saying?!" Viola demanded the ex-roserade.

"If… if I… fail…" Sophia whispered. "You'll… you'll do… u-unspeakable things to them… won't you…?"

Another surge traveled through her battered body, as did another tremble for the castle. The roserade dress Sophia wore began to glow in a faint hue of light green, which looked different when compared to the energy of aura or psychic. The power she felt was odd; it was both familiar and yet completely foreign as well.

"Mac… Leo… Beth…" Sophia listed. "Carol… Melissa… _Aaron_ …" The white haired girl didn't want to fathom what would happen to the people she cared about, should the queen be victorious. "You'll do… horrible things to them… won't you…?"

"Wh… What are you doing?!" Viola demanded again with a hint of fear in her voice.

The next pulse of power Sophia felt was immense, to the point that it practically erased the vast majority of her pain for a few seconds. The castle shook violently this time as well, completely stopping any of the leftover fighting that still occurred on the other side of the metal bars.

"I… won't… let you… win," Sophia said in a clearer voice.

A low growl came from Viola as she started to run towards the ex-roserade, wanting to stomp the life out of her. "I'd like to see you try!" she yelled with malice laced in her words.

"I won't… let you… **win** ," Sophia said louder. The surges she felt were practically in her grasp now, and all she had to do was take it. The hue of energy on her dress was getting brighter as well, and small red and blue leaves began to form and rotate around her body.

"You will DIE!" Viola screamed as she got closer.

Sophia crossed her arms over her chest and shut her eyes tightly, taking in as much of the energy surge as she could. Then, in an amazing show of power, she lashed her arms to her sides and let out a shout that shook the hearts of everyone in the area.

" **I WON'T LET YOU WIN!** "

The following tremor violently shook the castle and made the floor beneath the two women crack horribly. To the shock of Viola, a large green stalk burst through the cracks and pierced the ceiling, forcing the queen to both gasp and stop dead in her tracks. More and more of the floor was beginning to break apart, and more of the large stalks emerged in their wake. One by one, the strong plants slammed through the ground throughout the rest of the castle, even managing to bash against the metal bars as well. The steel wall was twisted and bended by the great force of the plants, with some even falling over in the process.

On the other side, dozens of stalks smashed up and struck any Bellator soldier that was unfortunate enough to be over their wake. Meanwhile, the Aurora force scrambled to dodge the plants as they raised, with Mac, Beth, and Caroline returning their pokemon to avoid getting caught in the stalks' radius.

"Everyone, get clear!" Caroline barked at her soldiers while avoiding another of the plants.

Amazingly, none of the large plants struck Aaron and Melissa, who were still lying on the ground defeated. When they plants came to a halt, vines of all sizes emerged from the stalks that surrounded Sophia and Viola. One of the largest ones went underneath the ex-roserade's feet and brought her up into the air. When she was raised high enough, Sophia made the vine stop and proceeded to glare at the queen below, her red orbs shining brightly as she did.

Viola was at a lost of words as she gawked at the green mess that was her castle. She never would have thought that Sophia was capable of causing destruction like this at a massive scale, and how quickly she was able to do it as well. The queen grimaced at the movement of the vines, feeling sickened by the presence as they moved around.

"Wh… what…? What did you…?" The Bellator queen muttered, horrified at the damage done to her throne room.

"Viola." Sophia called out to the woman below coldly, quickly gaining her attention. "I promised someone that I would stop you with every fiber in my being. So even if it costs my life, I intend to keep that promise. I'll make sure you're incapable of causing anyone any more pain; this, I swear."

The queen kept her silence as the ex-roserade spoke, regaining the scowl she had before the stalks emerged. The feeling of amazement and horror were brushed aside as the queen realized that she needed to defeat her enemy once and for all. She covered her body in psychic energy and levitated off the ground, floating to the same level as Sophia. Both shared a final glare before the queen raised and pointed her scimitar in the ex-roserade's direction, the blade covered in her blue aura.

"Then come, _Sophia_." Viola challenged. "Come, and face **damnation**."

With that said, the Bellator queen dashed forward and shot a aura sphere ahead. Sophia remained where she was, undeterred by the incoming attack. A vine shot out in front of the ex-roserade to intercept the projectile, which struck the plant and made it fall to the ground. Four energy balls appeared around Sophia, and when she extended her arm out, they fired off toward the queen in a triple succession. Viola threw herself in the air to dodge the twelve green spheres, but was struck by a large vine that the ex-roserade commanded, which knocked her back by several feet.

Sophia swept her hand across the air, commanding more of the vines to strike the Bellator queen. The plants immediately followed the silent order and went after the levitating woman. Viola strafted a few, but was unable to dodge all of the vines and was hit several times as a result, mostly on her arms and legs. Getting aggravated by the assault, Viola yelled out as she began to cut and shoot psychic rings at the nearby plants, striking and slicing many of them and forcing them to fall to the ground. Anymore that charged at the queen were quickly caught and subdued by her psychic powers, and were crushed because of it. Now that she was free to do so, Viola charged at Sophia again, readying to stab the sword into her enemy.

The queen didn't intimidate the ex-roserade, nor did she make her move at all. When Viola got close, she attempted to shove her blade into the girl's chest. Sophia however made the vine she was on move to the side at the last second, making the stab miss completely and forcing the queen to be wide open for an attack. Taking the opportunity, Sophia slammed a aura infused fist into Viola's side, earning a sharp gasp of pain from her and knocking her back again.

The Bellator queen winched, but recovered quickly to ready another strike with her scimitar, this time a sideways slash. She aimed at the ex-roserade's neck and swung, but the attack missed again when Sophia ducked. The blade sailed over her head, and Sophia quickly shot an uppercut at Viola's chin afterward. Following up the strike, the white haired girl shot the queen in the stomach with a triple energy ball, sending her back once more. When her enemy got far enough, Sophia aimed and fired a furious leaf storm, which had much more power than the previous times she used the move. The attack struck Viola, but she strafed her body to dodge the rest of the deadly petals.

Sophia didn't let up her assault, and began shooting off more energy balls in rapid succession again. In order to block the next attack, the Bellator queen created a psychic barrier to intercept the incoming projectiles. They hit the shield and made it crack slightly, and it only began to break more as more energy balls kept coming. Seeing that Viola was preoccupied with her attack, Sophia commanded more vines to attack the flying queen. The purple haired psychic was now forced to drop her shield in order to focus on slicing any plant that got too close for attack. She was unable to block all of them however, and she quickly felt the same stinging sensation of vines whipping and striking her repeatedly.

The ex-roserade could tell from the queen's yelps that she couldn't take much more damage. Knowing that she needed to land one more powerful hit, Sophia decided to execute her last and most powerful attack. She curled her hand into a fist, and the vines quickly started to wrap around the Bellator queen. Viola growled as she tried to slice the plants that touched her, but the ones she destroyed were replaced by several more, making her efforts vain as a result. It didn't take long for her to get completely trapped, to which she struggled greatly to escape.

Knowing that her enemy wasn't going anywhere, Sophia silently order one of the stalks that pierced the castle ceiling to retract. It took several seconds, but the enormous plant eventually sunk down and left a large hole in its wake. Bright sunlight shined through the opening and fell onto the ex-roserade, giving her energy that only pure sunlight could offer. She raised one hand towards the ray of light and aimed the other at the struggling queen, who was still cutting at the vines around her. The hand in the sunlight slowly began to absorb the energy the sun gave off, which traveled through Sophia's body and into her other palm. A yellowish green sphere formed in that hand, and quickly got bigger as the ex-roserade gained more power at a fast rate. By now, the sphere engulfed her hand, and once Sophia felt it was complete, she let out a long shout as a green beam shot out of her hand and towards Viola.

The moment the queen looked at the ex-roserade, the monstrous attack struck her body at full force and made her slam into the monitor that was above her throne. Viola screamed in agony as the beam continued to strike her at full blast, feeling Sophia's true power. It lasted for a full six seconds before eventually giving out from the now poor lack of energy. Once it did, the Bellator queen fell in front of her throne and laid there, no longer moving.

Sophia panted from the amount of power that the solar beam sapped away, but she made herself focus as she commanded the vines to retrieve Aaron's saber, since she dropped it earlier. When she had possession of it again, the ex-roserade made the large plant she was riding on approach the throne, keeping a close eye on the queen as she did. Sure enough, Viola stirred slightly in her spot. Not taking any chances, Sophia ordered the smaller vines to constrict around the queen's arms and legs in order to immobilize her. Then, the ex-roserade had the plants lift up her enemy's upper body, allowing her to see the state the Bellator queen was truly in.

Viola's breathing was slow and heavy, due to the amount of punishment the ex-roserade dished out at her. The battle dress she wore was torn to shreds, the pieces of armor on it were mostly destroyed. The queen's now wild hair covered her violet eyes, which were barely open as she glanced at the floor. Sophia knew she was done for.

" _One more hit, and she's dead.'_ The ex-roserade thought as she reached the queen. Sophia slowly raised the saber she held and aimed it at Viola, preparing to stab it down to end her opponent's life. The defeated queen only closed her violet and kept her head down, readying herself for death. This action however, made the ex-roserade hesitate, making her wonder if she could truly end a person's life.

" _I… I have to do this!'_ She thought. _"I swore on my life that I would keep her from harming anyone else, so she needs to-'_ Almost immediately, the ex-roserade's inner voice stopped itself from uttering the word. _"She needs to… I… I have to… to… kill…'_

No matter how hard she tried, Sophia couldn't envision herself killing someone. She's never stomped out the life of another sentient being, even if they were trying to kill her. Even back when she fought in the city, the ex-roserade never brought death to any of the soldiers she faced. She made sure that they were unable to continue fighting, sure. But she never killed any of them, the very thought of doing so struck the girl to her core.

" _Would killing her… would that make anything better? Would I… would I be any better than her…?'_

"I… I can't do it," Sophia said softly as she lowered the saber. Viola glanced up at her to groan questionly. "I can't kill you, Viola. No matter how hard I try to, I can't bring myself to end someone's life, including yours. Your death wouldn't fix anything." The saber the ex-roserade held now fell onto the floor as she continued. "I know I promised to make sure that you could never harm anyone else, but… but I don't want to kill either. So… instead, I'll spare you. I'll spare your life, Viola."

The defeated queen remained silent as she processed Sophia's words, and she kept her mouth shut when the ex-roserade created and swept sleeping powder from her hand. Viola accidently inhaled the substance through her nose and coughed as a result, taking in more of the powder as she tried to breath. Within seconds, the sleeping agent did its job and knocked the queen unconscious, putting her out for good. Now without the fear of Viola attacking her again, Sophia commanded the vine she was on to take her to the middle of the throne room. She wanted to see how her friends were doing, and the ex-roserade needed to be at a high vantage point in order to spot them.

However, before she arrived, Sophia felt the immense power she had suddenly vanish. The green hue around the ex-roserade's dress was gone, and the blue and red leaves that rotated around her disappeared. The power surge was the only thing that kept the girl standing, and now that it was gone, the ex-roserade returned to the state she was in when Viola slashed her. She gasped in both surprise and pain as she tumbled forward, feeling incredible amounts of grogginess consume her. The control the ex-roserade had over the vines faltered as well, and the large plant she rode on began to tilt forward, allowing Sophia's body to plummet towards the ruined floor.

But before she could make contact, a blur caught her body mid fall and skidded across the floor. The person let out a sharp, pained exhale when they came to a stop, but was still holding on to Sophia's injured form. The girl's senses barely came to as she glanced up, seeing Aaron's face as he cradled her in his arms. Despite being heavily injured himself, the teen still gave the ex-roserade his small smirk, showing off his love for her.

"You… you did… a great j-job, Sophia…" His voice was strained, but Aaron tried to sound as happy as he could. " Get some rest… you d-deserve it… more than anything else…"

There were other voices in the background, along with several footsteps heading their way. But Sophia could barely pay these any attention; her eyelids were getting heavier as seconds passed, as she was soon forced to close them. But before she drifted off, the ex-roserade whispered one last thing to the teen holding her.

"I love you…"


	25. Chapter 25

Exhaustion.

Comfort.

And blissfulness.

Those were the words that described how Sophia felt when her crimson eyes peeked up slowly. The softness of a bed welcomed her and a thin blanket wrapped her with warmth. Dim lights slightly blinded the ex-roserade, but her eyes were able to adjust in a matter of seconds. When her orbs were fully open, Sophia raised her body and groaned lightly before looking ahead, her red eyes meeting a pair of green ones as she did.

"Hey there," Caroline said with a light smile. She was sitting on a chair that was against the wall, with one leg draped over the other.

"C-Carol…?" Sophia whispered lightly, still feeling the grogginess of her awakening. "Where am I…?"

"One of the infirmaries of our base." The ginger answered. "You've been healing up for a while."

The ex-roserade sat back against the bedpost and checked out the blue hospital gown she was wearing, disliking the strange texture to it. "How long have I been out?" she asked.

"Since yesterday," Caroline said. "You went out as soon as the battle ended."

Sophia's crimson eyes widened at the news, for she just now remembered the large and bloody battle that took place in the castle. "Oh my gosh! Where's Aaron and Mel-?!"

A loud snore interrupted the girl's panic, which made her turn toward the right to see where it came from. Laying down in a bed that was identical to her's was Melissa, who was still asleep. The brunette's mouth went agape as she let out another short snore, seeming to be at peace in her slumber.

"She should be waking up soon; Melissa healed up the quickest out of everyone." Caroline informed.

Sophia breathed out a small sigh of relief, glad to see her friend in one piece. "Okay, but where's Aaron?" she asked.

"Right here."

The sudden voice surprised both girls as they turned to see Aaron standing in front of the doors of the infirmary. He was dressed in combat attire and had his saber sheathed at his hip, but lacked the helmet and armor. His appearance in the room annoyed the Caroline, who got up to frown at the commander.

"What are you doing here?" The ginger questioned in a annoyed and angered tone. "You should be resting up!"

"Relax Carol, I'll be fine." Aaron reassured. "I just wanted to see how these two were holding up."

Sophia tried to speak to the commander, but was cut off by another abrupt snore. She glanced back at the brunette to see her stirring in her sleep. Within several seconds, Melissa shot up with eyes and rapidly checked the room.

"Who what when where and why?!" she yelled quickly before letting out a soft groan and taking a hold of her aching head.

"Hey Melissa." Aaron greeted the exhausted brunette.

"Eh…? Guys?" Melissa groaned. "What… happened…?"

"You went unconscious back at the Bellator castle." Caroline answered. "We brought you back to the base to heal up."

"Right… that…" The brunette moaned. "Did… did we win?"

"Yeah, we won." Aaron smiled. "Thanks to Sophia."

"M-me?!" Sophia squeaked in surprise, not realizing she brought victory to the Aurora force.

"Of course," Caroline said. "Not only did you heavily damage most of the castle and their army, but you also defeated their queen. We would've been screwed if it wasn't for you."

"Wait, she _defeated_ the queen?" Melissa gasped out in shock, then looked toward the ex-roserade. "How? We were getting our asses handed to us. How did you beat her and destroy the castle?"

"I… don't know…" Sophia answered slowly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Aaron questioned, now confused. "I thought you had complete control over those plants you summoned."

"I-I did, it's just…" The ex-roserade paused for a second. "I really don't know what happened. When I made those plants appear, I felt a strange power take over. It was weird, like I felt this power before, but at the same time I had no idea what it was."

"Don't think about it too hard, Sophia," Caroline said. "This might just be a new ability that you've unlocked. You'll most likely figure it out when you have time to look into it."

"She's right, it'll come to you later." Melissa agreed. "For now, let's get back on the topic of Team Bellator. Speaking of which, what happened to their leader? Is she dead?"

"No." Aaron shook his head in denial. "We captured her as a prisoner."

"You _what_?!" the brunette yelled, now flabbergasted that their most dangerous enemy is still alive.

"Calm down," Aaron said firmly. "We have Viola under heavy guard AND put Sophia's dark gem on her, meaning she's not using any psychic powers on anyone."

"Oh no, nononono." Now Melissa was one shaking her head. "We shouldn't let someone that dangerous live. What do guys think will happen if she frees herself from captivity?! How on earth are we gonna stop her again?! We've gotten our asses kicked by the queen, _twice_. Not to mention that Sophia doesn't know how to use-"

" _Sophia_ , is the one that let her live. She could've killed the queen, but she chose not to." Aaron argued.

"We should honor her choice, Melissa." Caroline chimed in. "It's for the best."

Melissa blinked at the two for a couple seconds before eventually sighing in defeat. "Alright, fine, we'll let… _Viola_ … live," she said. "But just know, if that bitch makes any sudden movements, I will _not_ hesitate to kill her."

Aaron gave the brunette a small nod. "Now with that out of the way, let's address some of the other news, like the state Team Bellator is in."

"We've gotten reports of Bellator activity all over northern unova," Caroline said, taking a step forward. "However, now that they're leaderless, the soldiers are clueless on how to proceed."

"So what do we do with them?" Melissa asked.

"When we hunt them down, we'll give them two options." The ginger answered. "Option one: they'll turn themselves in peacefully and will be shown mercy. They'll be judged on their crimes once everything is in order."

"Option two, should any of them resist arrest and fight back, will be met with lethal force." Aaron continued. "I hope most of them will take the former option, because everyone here has had their fair share of fighting."

"I see," Sophia said. "What about the city? Was it attacked again while we were gone?"

"Thankfully, no." Caroline answered. "In fact, it's being repaired as we speak."

"That's good to hear." Melissa grinned. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, it'll be a while before we start hunting down the rest of the unorganized team," Aaron said. "For now, we'll rest up, and celebrate our victory."

"Celebrate?" Sophia questioned.

"Indeed." Caroline nodded. "Since the knights are dead and the queen is captured, the rest of Team Bellator is clueless on how to proceed. They might try to free Viola, but chances of that are extremely low, due to them not knowing the location of our base."

"The battle in the castle was a crippling blow against Team Bellator." Aaron continued. "Thanks to you guys, we practically have them around our fingers."

"So… there's a celebration for defeating them?" Melissa asked, her voice rising with giddiness. "Does that mean there's going to be a feast?!"

"Of course there'll be-" Caroline attempted to speak.

"FINALLY!" Melissa screamed out, the ginger's words bringing endless joy to her. "It's been TOO long since I've had a proper meal! Where are my clothes?! I need to see it!"

Caroline flinched at the brunette's loud voice, and slowly pointed a finger toward a closet at the end of the room. Following the direction of the digit, Melissa sprang out of the bed and dashed to it. The brunette violently swung the closet open and quickly grabbed the blue Aurora uniform within. Afterward, the hyper teen quickly spotted a bathroom and ran into t to change. In the matter of a few seconds, Melissa jumped out as soon as she ran in, completely changed into new clothes, to the mass confusion of the ginger leader.

"Wha…? How did you-?" Caroline tried to ask, completely dumbstruck by the brunette's insane speed.

"It's… for the best _not_ to question her, Carol," Aaron said to the ginger. "When it comes to food, Melissa will do the impossible to get to it."

"Alrighty then!" The brunette beamed. "Now that I'm ready, I'll need an escort to the feast!" Her brown orbs were now on the only male in the room, who slightly shuddered under her gaze.

"Uh oh…" Aaron whispered.

"Alright Aaron! Let's get to the-"

"H-hey, Melissa?" Sophia quipped at the brunette, interrupting her small cheer. "Can you leave Aaron here? I want to talk to him, privately."

Melissa blinked at the ex-roserade before she flashed another smile. "Yeah sure, that's alright." Her eyes now landed on the Aurora leader. "I'll just take the ginger instead!"

"Uh… what?" Caroline blinked at Melissa, who appeared in front of her in within a second.

"Let's go, Carol!" The brunette beamed as she attempted to grab the ginger's wrist. However, Caroline pulled her hand back at the last second before Melissa could touch her. Confused, the brunette gave the leader a puzzled look.

"If… all you wanted was to grab my hand," the ginger said before she tangled her fingers with Melissa's, intertwining their hands together. "All you had to do was ask," Caroline said with a grin.

"Er… Uh… umm… w-well…" The brunette's words tangled her mouth as her face got beat red, which only came out as gibberish.

"What's the matter?" Caroline whispered as she got closer to the rookie. "Did a meowth catch your tongue?

"N… n-not at all!" Melissa stuttered out. "Y-you… d-dumb ginger..."

"My my!" Caroline purred. "That's no way to talk to your leader."

Melissa tore her eyes away from the ginger's and pulled her to follow as she walked to the door. The brunette blushed heavily as she held Caroline's hand, getting more flustered as the ginger spoke to her.

"I can talk to you however I want…" Melissa whispered under her breath, increasing the grin on her leader's face. "I d-don't care who you are… s-stupid ginger…"

Once the two women left room, silence filled the air of the infirmary. Aaron kept his head toward the door Melissa and Caroline left through, and soon closed his eyes. Sophia gazed at the teen ahead, and once she knew the others were far enough, she began to speak to him.

"Aaron-"

"I… I gotta ask, Sophia." Aaron interrupted her as he looked her way. "Why did you let Viola live? She wouldn't have shown you a shred of mercy, so why did you spare her?"

Sophia lowered her head at the question. "Because… well… there are two reasons." She looked at the teen again before continuing. "First off, I'm not a killer, Aaron. I haven't killed anyone up to this point, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"What about the Bellator soldiers in the city? You know, the ones you fought against?" Aaron asked.

"They're not dead, I only knocked them out." Sophia answered. "Even the ones I poisoned will live, because I made sure that the poison wasn't lethal."

"Okay… then what's your second reason?"

"The other is… well…" Sophia paused. "She spared _me_ once before."

"But, that's because-" Aaron tried to say.

"I know, I know, you stopped her from killing me," Sophia said. "But she could've easily ignored you and finished me off then and there. However, she chose not to, and spared my life." The ex-roserade's gaze fell to her feet. "Maybe… maybe there's some good in her, Aaron…"

The commander shuddered at the last part, silently disagreeing with the girl completely. Flashes of what the Bellator queen did to him and his comrades flooded his mind as he thought about her, but he quickly shoved them aside, knowing that time was over with. Hopefully for good.

"I see," Aaron whispered as he approached the ex-roserade's bed, kneeling on one knee and placing his hands on her's when he was close. "Can I ask you one more question?"

"Shoot." Sophia smiled, placing her other hand on top of his.

"Why do you love me?" he asked.

The white haired girl was taken back by his words, not expecting him to ask such a question. She wondered what were the right words to answer with, and drew in a small breath before she spoke.

"Why?" she said. "It's because you've taken care of me for as long as I know. Everyday, you give me so much happiness and love. You make me smile and laugh, and… and I want to return all of that and more to you.

"When I was still a roserade, and when you were retiring from your life as a trainer, I felt… terrified. I was scared that I would never see you again when you disbanded the team." Sophia squeezed the teen's hand as she continued, feeling tears in the corners of her eyes. "And… and when you were captured by Team Bellator, I was frightened. I blamed myself for not being able to stop Viola, I and hated myself for not being able to prevent your pain. I don't want us to part ways again, Aaron. Never again."

"Sophia…" Aaron whispered.

"You mean the world to me." She continued. "Without you in my life, I feel lost, alone, empty, and scared. The reason why I love you is because you give my life a purpose, and that's to make you as happy as you make me!" The tears were now flowing down her cheeks as she choked on her words. "And… and I don't care if you don't return the same feelings I have, because I'll still love you, no matter-"

Sophia was cut off when Aaron placed his lips against her's and brought them into a light kiss. The ex-roserade gasped at first, but quickly melted into the liplock and kissed him back. She removed her hands from his to wrap her arms behind Aaron's neck to deepen the liplock. Sophia felt overjoyed as they kissed, and started to moan lightly into it. Every second felt like a minute to ex-roserade, and she didn't want it to end.

Unfortunately for Sophia, Aaron pulled away to draw a breath. He smiled lovingly at the white haired girl and pulled his arms around her body to pull her into an embrace.

"Don't you remember Sophia?" He asked into the hug. "I said I do love you. And I promise, for as long as I live, that I will make you the happiest person on this planet."

The ex-roserade's smile grew in length as she returned the hug, letting tears of joy flow down her face. "I hope you keep that promise," she whispered.

"I will." The commander reassured. "I swear on my life, I _will_."

Aaron pulled away from the hug and lightly swept his fore finger across Sophia's face to wipe away some of the tears. The white haired girl hummed a small laugh as he did, enjoying the feeling of his touch.

"Heh, you always give me a reason to smile, huh?" Aaron grinned.

"I try my best to," Sophia said sweetly.

The teen pecked her lips before rising up on his feet. "You feel healthy enough to walk?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just need to change out of this gown." Sophia answered. "Can you get my clothes?"

Aaron nodded and walked over to the closet to retrieve her clothes. The ex-roserade removed the blanket covering her and brought herself out of the bed. As she stood and tried to walk, she limped slightly. The white haired girl did her best to ignore the pained feeling in her leg as she approached the commander, who had her outfit in hand. The green material was repaired from the battle, and was washed out of any blood stains that covered it before. Sophia took the outfit and walked over to the bathroom. But before she walked in, she turned around and smiled lovingly at Aaron.

"No peeking~!" She teased.

"Yeah yeah." Aaron smiled back and waved his hand at her. "Take your time, I'll be waiting outside."

The teen left through the doors and stayed nearby the room, keeping his word on staying. Sophia grinned again and went into the bathroom to change. After a minute or two, the white haired girl finished putting on the roserade outfit. She checked out her appearance in mirror, trying to see if she missed anything. But as she did this, Sophia could feel a faint power resonate within her. It was the same power from before, but it was incredibly weaker. The ex-roserade eyed her outfit, wondering if it was the reason for this power.

"Is that right?" Sophia whispered to herself. "Well, it does feel like I'm adding a piece of myself when I wear this, could that be the reason as to why I feel this power?"

After a couple of seconds, the ex-roserade shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. _"It's best not to think about it right now. It'll come to me later.'_

Nodding to herself, Sophia left the bathroom and exited the infirmary. When she did, she immediately approached Aaron, who gazed at the dress she was wearing with awe.

"How do I look?" the ex-roserade asked as she spun in place to give the teen a full view of her outfit.

"Stunning." He answered with a grin. "Although, the mask might get in the way if I try to kiss you."

"You can always take it off," Sophia said as she got closer to him.

"Eh, I suppose," Aaron said before extending his arm to her. The white haired girl locked her own arm with his, and together, they walked down the hallway to meet the others at the celebration, with Aaron mostly leading the way.

* * *

"This… this is…" Melissa gasped out with wide eyes.

"This is…?" Caroline went off.

The two women stood within the cafeteria, gazing at the many rows of sweets in front of them. The deserts ranged from chocolate to ice cream and cookies of all kinds. There were plenty sweets available for everyone as well, and many Aurora soldiers picked out which ones they wanted to eat.

"Heaven…" Melissa whispered, feeling her mouth water as she saw the soldiers eat the sweets. The brunette loosened her fingers away from Caroline's and approached the sweet feast in front of her. The desert's aroma filled her senses, and made the teen get lost within. Melissa eyed a row of cookies when she arrived, many of which were made with pieces of chocolate embeded inside. Ever so slowly, the brunette picked up a cookie and stared at it. Small crumbs fell off of the light brown sweet, which only made Melissa smile with glee as she examined the chocolate dug with.

The piece of food was practically begging for the teen to eat it.

She brought it over to her mouth and opened up slightly. When the cookie was close, Melissa violently bit down and chomped on the rest within a second. The brunette grabbed two more from the row and destroyed them in the same manner, devouring the helpless pieces of food.

"I can die happy now!" Melissa called out happily.

"Just make sure not to eat too much," Caroline said as she approached. "You don't want to miss out on the main course."

"Main course?!" Melissa gasped. "What is it?! Where is it?!"

"You'll see soon enough." The ginger smiled.

"I hope it's meat! It's been too long!" The brunette yelled in a excited tone.

Not far from the two was a small crowd of soldiers surrounding a table. Leo stood upon it with a half empty bottle of sake in his hand. The captain's steps were horribly coordinated as he moved about, wearing a large smile on his face.

"Then… THEN…" Leo slurred. "I duck away from the sword slash at the last possible second, turned around, and stabbed my own sword into the knight's gut! He went down a second later!"

The soldiers cheered at the drunken captain, fascinated by the story of his battle with the red knight. From behind the table, Mac and Beth approached, giving Leo an annoyed glance when they could see his erratic state. Chris, Mac's chimchar, rode on top of the large captain's shoulder. The fire monkey stared at the shaggy haired man curiously, wondering why he talked and moved in such strange ways.

"Are you drunk already?" Beth asked in a annoyed tone.

"Ah ah!" Leo turned to see his fellow captains. "There's nothing wrong with getting a little tipsy, Beth!"

"Drinking half a bottle of alcohol isn't a little, pipsqueak," Mac said. "Especially when you're a lightweight."

The drunk captain laughed at the insult. "Call me what you want, sweetheart! You're not breaking my good mood today!" he said.

The two sober captains sighed and rolled their eyes at their drunk peer. They walked around the table and took a seat in the chairs nearby. Some of the Aurora soldiers approached the captains and asked them about their battles. Neither Beth or Mac went into great detail about their fights, only saying who they fought and how they defeated them.

After a couple of minutes, Aaron and Sophia entered the populated room. Both looked on in awe, impressed by the amount of desert presented and how good it looked. The two teens approached Melissa and Caroline and exchanged their own greetings with them. Once the group talked for a minute, they decided to sit down near of the round tables to get more comfortable. Aaron and Sophia sat next to each other, while Melissa and Caroline sat on the opposite side.

"Alright you two." The brunette started. "I have to ask because my intuition is killing me. Are you a couple now?"

"E-eh?!" Sophia and Aaron yelped at the same time.

"You are, aren't you?!" Melissa pointed accusingly. "I can see it in your eyes!"

"Not to mention that you guys had a private conversation _and_ took a while to get here." Caroline laughed.

Aaron opened his mouth to retaliate, but stopped himself with a small sigh of defeat. He glanced at Sophia, who simply flashed a light grin his way and nodded.

"Your ridiculousness will never cease to amaze me, Melissa…" Aaron groaned. "Your intuition is too accurate as well."

"Ha! I knew it!" Melissa yelled triumphantly before mockingly singing, "Sophia and Aaron, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~!"

"Go on, keeping teasing like an eight year old." Aaron rolled his eyes while grinning in slight amusement.

"Well, don't mind if I do!" Melissa matched his grin with a bigger smile.

Before the brunette could continue however, the rings of several bells went off. Everyone in the room turned their attention toward the entrance of the cafeteria to see several people pull in a large amount of various cooked meats, cakes, and beverages on multiple karts. The aroma of all the new food-especially the meat-struck Melissa's nose and made her mouth water greatly.

"MEAT!" The brunette moaned as she tried to get up from her seat and dash toward it. But mid run, Aaron quickly got up from his seat and intercepted the brunette. He wrapped his arms around the crazed teen's stomach and lifted her up, which kept her running and lunging at the food.

"Hold your horses, you wild animal!" Aaron yelled, struggling to keep the brunette at bay and from destroying the feast.

"Let me go!" Melissa begged as she stared at the food. "It's calling to me! They're BEGGING for me to eat them!"

"And you'll get some!" Aaron groaned. "But you need to wait a little bit longer!"

"I've waited long enough!" Melissa yelled back.

The soldier continued to the pull the large amounts of food into the cafeteria, and came to a halt once they reached the middle. When they stopped, Caroline got up from her seat and walked over to them. She turned around in the middle of her stroll to smile at the flailing brunette.

"I'll bring you a plate after the short speech," the ginger said.

"No! I need it _now_!" Melissa seethed during her struggle.

Caroline rolled her eyes and continued to walk toward the middle of the room. Once she was there, the ginger brought up her xtransceiver and began to type on the commands prompted on the small screen. After a few seconds, she tapped on the watch phone again, which echoed throughout the speakers in the cafeteria and engulfed it which a small tapping sound.

"I'd like to get everyone's attention, please." Caroline spoke into the xtransceiver, allowing her voice to come through to the speakers. All eyes were now on her as she continued to speak. "I want to thank all of you for coming. As most of you know, yesterday was a huge turning point in our war with Team Bellator. Yesterday, we found and assaulted their castle, which happened to be their head quarters.

"The main purpose of the attack was to free Lieutenant Colonel Aaron, my second in command, from captivity. Not only that, but once he was free, we also planned on eliminating all Bellator leadership present. The battle was difficult, to say to the least, and was practically suicidal. But thanks to efforts of everyone that fought to their fullest, not only did we save Aaron and defeat the four knights, but we've also captured their leader, Queen Viola Bellator. If it wasn't for the efforts of our three High Captains, Beta company, along with the two recruits, Melissa and Sophia, then the mission would've ended in failure. May those of you that have been mentioned, please stand."

Several soldiers surrounding two tables got up from their seats, along with Leo, Beth, and Mac doing the same. Sophia stood up as well, seeing that Aaron and Melissa were already standing since the commander was still trying to stop the brunette from destroying the feast.

"Now, let's give these heroes the gratitude they deserve!" Caroline called out before clapping her hands together repeatedly. The rest of the room followed suite, with everyone giving a round of applause for the soldiers that stood. Everyone-expect for Aaron and Melissa-smiled greatly and waved at crowds cheering at them.

"Thanks to you, we've dealt a crippling blow to the enemy, and with that, this war will soon reach it's end." Caroline smiled. "Now, without further ado, let's celebrate our victory!"

The cafeteria roared with another cheer, and large amounts of the soldier got up and approached the feast that waited for them. Caroline took a plate and started to pile it with all kinds of the cooked meat, and once it was full, she went back to the table Sophia and the others were located. When she got close, Melissa increased her struggling tenfold when she saw the plate, to much of the annoyance of Aaron. The approaching ginger smiled and placed the plate on the table before glancing at the two teens.

"Unleash the beast," she said.

The commander's arms pulled away from the flailing teen, who dived in quickly once she was free. The brunette grabbed a drumstick of chicken and bit into it, letting out a sigh of relief once the flavor settled in her mouth. The teen sat down once more before digging into the rest of the food.

"Now I can die happy!" Melissa said with glee before biting into another piece of meat.

The group chuckled at the brunette and went to get their own plates of food. Soon, the entire cafeteria was filled with noise as soldiers conversed at each with each other, with some even opening bottles of sake to celebrate their major victory over Team Bellator.

* * *

An hour passed as the party went on. A huge pile of plates sat in front of Melissa, who was lightly picking her teeth with a toothpick. A large and content grin covered her face, enjoying the large meal she consumed. The rest of the group only had a plate or two in front of them, along with glass cups that were mostly empty.

"Ahh… there's nothing like a stomach full of great food," Melissa sighed happily.

"Oh? You're full?" Aaron questioned. "You sure you don't want to stack a couple more plates on that mountain you got there?"

"Hmm… nah." The brunette denied. "I'll save that for later."

Sophia smiled at her friend's bickering, delighted that they were having a good time at the celebration. These happy thoughts passed however, once the ex-roserade's mind was on another topic. Specifically, Sophia was thinking about Viola, wondering why someone would do such heinous things to people to get their way. What did she have to gain from it, the ex-roserade questioned in her mind. It bugged her endlessly.

"Hey, Carol?" Sophia said, gaining the ginger's attention. "You said that we have Viola prisoner here, right?"

"Yeah… why?" Caroline raised her eyebrow curiously.

"Noth- er… well…" The ex-roserade stuttered. "I was wondering, could you bring me to her? I… I want to ask her a couple questions."

The group looked at Sophia in confusion, not knowing why she would want to speak to the former queen. "You want to talk to her?" Aaron asked. "Why?"

"I just want to ask her a couple questions, is all." Sophia answered. "And I doubt she'll try anything on me either, what with her under heavy guard and everything."

"Uh… I suppose I can take you to her…" Caroline accepted, unsure of what to think about the ex-roserade wanting to speak to the former queen.

"Well, if you're going, then I'm coming with," Aaron said, about to get up from his seat.

"No, no!" Sophia waved her hands at the teen in denial. "It's alright! You should stay here and enjoy the party, we'll only gone for a couple minutes."

"But Sophia…" Aaron began.

"We'll be fine, Aaron, I promise." The ex-roserade reassured with a light smile.

Aaron kept his eyes on her, feeling greatly concerned over this. But after a few seconds, he sighed in defeat. "Fifteen minutes," he said. "If you're not back by fifteen minutes, I'll come running."

Sophia gave the commander a small nod and got up from her chair. When Caroline did the same, the ex-roserade followed her out of the cafeteria and through the entrance. Aaron and Melissa watched as they left the room, the commander frowning slightly as they walked out.

"I should've went with them," he said.

"Eh, I'm sure they'll be fine." Melissa shrugged. "That 'queen' or whatever is under heavy lockdown, she won't do a thing to them."

"I hope that the case," Aaron sighed. "Say, Melissa. I've been meaning to ask, now that we're alone…"

"Ask what?" The brunette questioned.

"Well, I want to know… What happened when I was… you know… back at the castle." He trailed off slowly.

"Oh… you mean _that_ ," Melissa said quietly. "When you were under the queen's control."

"Yeah…" The commander nodded.

"I… don't really know, to be honest." The brunette admitted. "I fought the blue knight when you possessed, so I didn't really know what you were doing until I defeated her. When I got to you, you were standing over Sophia, and was going to- y'know…"

"I get it," Aaron said.

"Yeah…" Melissa breathed out. "Anyways, when I did arrive, I started to… well… yell at you. I yelled at you to stop, and you did just that."

"I stopped?" Aaron questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Because you yelled at me to?"

"It's not like that," the brunette said. "When I shouted at you, something seemed to hit you mentally. You looked pained when I did, and you kept screaming when I was talking to you. It's hard to explain, but you went blank for a couple seconds before coming back to normal."

"Huh… I see," Aaron said quietly. "That's odd, but thanks for telling me nonetheless."

"Of course." Melissa nodded. "And while we're at it, I need to tell you something as well."

"Like what?"

The brunette's expression darkened as she thought about it. "It's about my battle with the blue knight. When we fought, she told me that… that she… k-killed… Ryan…"

" _What_?" Aaron gasped out.

"At first, she was just taunting me, asking me why I fought against Team Bellator. Then, she went on about your reasons for fighting, saying that you fought to avenge a friend that you lost a year ago. She said she killed him, and that she used a dagger to do it."

"I… I can't believe this…" Aaron whispered as he held his head in shock. "To think that one of the knights was responsible…"

"She realized that he was my friend too, and started to mock him…" Melissa's now strained voice choked out as she thought about the dead blonde. "She kept going on about how she killed him, and was constantly insulting him."

"Well… at least that monster is gone from this world," the commander said. "She got what was coming to her."

"That's not all, though." Melissa continued. "When the knight was mocking Ryan, something within me… snapped. My aura just sky rocketed out of nowhere and I tore her to pieces. Her armor felt like nothing to me, and shattered when I attacked. She died so quickly… and I-"

"You went A-R." Aaron gasped a little once he realized what the brunette went through.

"A-R?" Melissa asked.

"Aura Rage." The commander explained. "It's a mode that can only occur when the user is under heavy amounts of anger. In that state, a person who goes A-R will unleash extreme amounts of aura to decimate whatever set them off. Not much can stop A-R once it activates.

"However, this mode should _never_ be used in long periods of time. Our bodies can't handle that much aura all at once. So if you use it for too long, you'll _die_. You're lucky that you killed the knight quickly." Aaron finished.

Melissa's expression dropped when processed the information. "So, I could've died if I stayed like that for too long?"

Aaron nodded lightly and leaned back into his chair. "Try to avoid using that form in the future, okay? I don't want your death on my mind as well." The commander let out a small sigh. "Still, at least Ryan's killer is gone from this world. Didn't think you would be the one to get them, but I won't complain."

Melissa reached out to a bottle of sake that wasn't open yet; she poured the drink into two glasses and offered one to Aaron, which he slowly took.

"To Ryan," Melissa said as she held up her glass.

"To our brother." Aaron tapped his cup against the brunette's and downed the drink, with Melissa doing the same with her's.

* * *

The sounds of the party slowly died out as Sophia and Caroline got further away from it. The ginger led the white haired girl through several empty hallways, save for the few ghost pokemon that lingered and patrolled about. The pair went down a stairwell that led to a large metal door that was under guard by a golurk. This door was unlike any other within the base, for it was circular in shape and had a large ship-like steering wheel attached to it.

Caroline nodded at the large ghost pokemon, which nodded in return before turning around to grab the wheel. After turning it multiple times, a large click went off, signalling the golurk to pull the large door open. On the other side was a dark hallway, which was oddly pitch black.

"Let's go." Caroline motioned Sophia to follow and stepped into the darkened passageway. The ex-roserade followed closely, and watched as bright lights turned on after the other as they walked down, illuminating their way.

It only took several seconds for the duo to come across another door, this one was of similar design to the door located in the sewers. Caroline placed her hands on the two circular panels on the door, and soon afterward made them glow with her green aura. Another series of locks went off as the panel beeped, and ever so slowly, the door began to open.

Within the room was a woman suspended by several chains, which was wrapped around their body and kept their arms and legs spread out. A single light shined on their body, revealing the torn up battle dress she wore. A necklace could be seen dangling from the woman's neck, which had Sophia's dark gem acting as the pendant. The woman's purple locks covered her face as well, hiding the closed eyes underneath.

"Make it quick, I'll be right here." Caroline motioned the ex-roserade to enter.

Sophia gave her nod before she foot into the room. She looked up at hanging before her to get a better look of their face. Sure enough, the white haired girl could make a frown, which gotter larger as she got closer to the woman.

"Hmph, look who's dropped by," Viola said in a seething voice as she glared at the ex-roserade. "Came to gloat about your pathetic victory?"

"Not at all," Sophia responded calmly. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Oh? An interrogation?" The former queen questioned. "And what makes you think I'll talk?"

"It's not like that, Vio-"

"Don't you _dare_ utter my name, **you disgusting degenerate**." Viola cut her off with a sharp growl.

Sophia continued to give the former queen a blank stare, not intimidated by the glare she received. "Fine, but answer me this: why do you want to take over the world so badly?" she asked.

There was a slight pause, then Viola let out a small chuckle. "Tell me, _Sophia_. What do you know about my surname?"

"Your surname?" The ex-roserade cocked her head in confusion. "It's Bellator, right? You named your team after it."

The defeated queen let out another laugh, this time in greater volume. "Tch, just as I've thought, you really _don't_ know anything about my name," she said. "Well, let me indulge you. My family name dates back centuries ago, when it was a name that was feared by all. The Bellators once ruled over vast amounts of the world, and I intend to take back what rightfully belongs to us."

"Wha…? What are talking about?" The ex-roserade questioned.

"I won't say anymore, just know that this world will know its queen when the time comes," Viola said. "And you, along with your army, will **suffer** for rebelling against me."

"Okay… next question." Sophia continued. "Why kill so many people? What do you have to gain from it?"

"Why?" The purple haired woman rasped. "Because idiots that would defy my rule deserve nothing more. They're the ones that would ignite rebellions against my empire, and that would be time consuming to deal with, should they come to life."

"Alright, last question…" The ex-roserade paused before continuing. "Why are you… Why do you… why are you in love with Aaron?" She sputtered out quickly.

The question made Viola go silent for a couple seconds, which took her off guard when Sophia asked it. She stared into the ex-roserade's eyes to see if she was serious, and when she decutced the girl _was_ , the former queen let out another chuckle.

"Aaron and I are meant to be together." Viola started. "He's strong, fast, brave, and his potential knows no bounds. It's only natural that he should rule by my side when the world's mine. It's a shame however, that he's being corrupted by you degenerates right now. You scumbags poison him to hate the very person he's destined to be with."

Sophia couldn't hold back the glare that formed when she listened to the former queen, somewhat seething at her words. "Aaron was _never_ destined to be with you!" she yelled. "If you had him, all you would do is treat him like slave, just like everyone else!"

"How dare you?!" Viola snarled at the white haired girl, furrowing her eyebrows greatly in the process. "Aaron would suffer endlessly with you heathens! He'll never reach his full potential when idiots like you hold him back! Only I can help him reach his full power! He needs me! And I need him!"

"He doesn't need you! Why would he ever need someone as vile as you?!" Sophia bit back, increasing the anger that resided in Viola. "Aaron would never suffer with us, nor is he destined to be with you! I know that for a fact!"

"And why's that, you little bitch?!" The former queen insulted. "You act as if you know everything about him!"

"I _do_ know everything about him! Because I lo-" Sophia instantly covered her mouth with her before she could utter another word, as if it was on instinct to do so.

"You…?" Viola led on.

The ex-roserade took several steps back, increasing the distance between her and the hanging woman. Despite getting further away from Viola, Sophia could feel her glare intensify with each passing second as she got closer to the truth. And when it finally hit her, the former queen looked at her with wide eyes.

"You… love him too, don't you?" she asked, earning nothing but silence from the white haired girl. Very quietly, Viola chuckled to herself and slowly increased the volume of her laugh, which soon engulfed and echoed within the small room loudly. Sophia couldn't tell if she lost her mind or was extremely pissed. Or worse, both.

"You know what?" Viola said as she ceased her laughter. "To hell with destroying that idiot on the other side of the door! Because when I'm free… I'm coming for _you_ , _**Sophia**_. You're going to wish that you killed me back at the castle, because I'll make your life become a living nightmare. **Mark. My. Words**."

The ex-roserade kept silent as she opened the door and stepped out. She stared into the glare Viola sent her way, feeling the intense rage and hatred that resided within the queen.

"Good luck with that, Viola," she said defiantly before Caroline sealed the door and locked it, finally breaking their intense eye lock.

* * *

Two weeks have passed since the battle of Bellator castle. Since then, Castelia City was once again filled with life as people and pokemon alike repaired it to its former glory. The members of Aurora's Light were hailed as heroes by the populace for saving the city from the clutches of Team Bellator. After a meeting with the leftover Unova Defense Force and city leaders, they and Caroline decided to reorganize Aurora's Light into the New Unova Defense Force. The remnants from the previous force were absorbed into the new organization, and Caroline was appointed as the chief to it.

Together, she and Aaron-along with the new UDF-started to hunt down the remainder of Team Bellator. They arrested many of the members that turned themselves in, and brought them back to the city to be judged on their crimes. Those that resisted arrest met the lethal force of the powerful duo and the army that followed them. The new UDF was successful in clearing out the rest of the region.

Captains MacArthur, Kythria, and Traxus also assisted when their leaders went after the disorganized team. Once they were finished, the three captains were tasked with escorting Viola to the region of Hoenn by sea, where she would be imprisoned in a highly defended underwater prison. The group did so successfully, meeting no ambushes from the enemy team along the way.

Melissa, who also helped clear out the remnant, decided to move in with Aaron and Sophia after she found out her apartment was destroyed in the Battle of Castelia. The new couple didn't mind however, since to them, the brunette was basically living there before. They would lock her out the refrigerator of course, to much of Melissa's dismay.

As for Sophia…

She was happy.

For she finally had the man she loved.

It was late at night in the small household. Melissa was sound asleep in her room, knocked out by a stomach full of a large dinner. The rest of the house was peacefully quiet. Outside on the roof, Sophia and Aaron sat together silently, with the ex-roserade leaning back against the curly haired teen's chest. Aaron wrapped his arms around her, and smiled lightly when she placed her head under his chin. Sophia held onto him as they watched the starry night sky above, with a full moon illuminating it brilliantly.

"It's so… peaceful," Sophia whispered.

"As it should be." Aaron agreed.

The ex-roserade turned her body so she could face him. They shared a smile with each other before pushing their lips together, creating a light kiss. The liplock wasn't as intense as the first one they shared two weeks agos, but it still made their hearts flutter all the same. Once the kiss broke, the white haired girl placed her head against the teen's chest again, and was soon brought into a soft embrace.

"I love you, Aaron," Sophia said in a soft voice.

"I love you too, Sophia." Aaron spoke in a similar tone to her's

Despite the fact that the ex-roserade heard those words before, they still made her feel like she was at the top of the world. She snuggled herself into Aaron's chest and closed her eyes, never wanting this feeling to end.

"Best. Wish. Ever." Sophia smiled.

 **The end.**

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _And so, the revisions of the main story are complete! Sorry that these took so long to complete, I didn't really have a lot of free time when I was typing them._

 _I'll fix the alternate endings too, by the way. But first, I want to hurry up and start brainstorming the general ideas for the next story (and maybe even make some one-shots, it's been a while)._

 _Thanks to everyone that read my mediocre story, I hope that I'll get your attention when I eventually make the sequel!_

 _And, once again, **FAVORITE THIS STORY OR DIE!**_

 _Just kidding._

 _See ya in the next update, whenever it'll come!_

 ** _Theta-Shuffle_**


	26. Alternate Ending One

_Author's Note_

 _Alright guys, this alternate ending contains death, suicide, depression, mentions of alcohol abuse, and just overall sadness. Read at your own discretion._

 _Edit: Thank you Farla for telling me about my errors! I forgot about that rule, (either that or I accidentally over read it) Apologies!_

* * *

Alternate Ending One

Suddenly, and violently, Sophia's entire body arched up as a large slash appeared on her stomach. She screamed in agony as her red blood gushed out and stained her roserade dress. The red liquid came out of her mouth as she choked back another scream. Before she knew it, she was violently hit by a aura infused kick, and flew back first into the metal bars that separated her from the others.

The white haired girl was surprisingly still on her feet, but was still in the worst pain she's ever felt. She let Aaron's sabre drop from her grasp, making it clank against the ground. Everything got extremely blurry for Sophia, and time was slowing down for her as well.

"I'm a little surprised you're still standing," Viola's voice called out to her. "but we both know you're about to collapse at any second."

"G... ghh... ahgg..." Sophia tried to respond.

She could hear her enemy's laugh. "Come on, why don't you fall and rest? It'll be quick, I promise..."

"Ha... ghhh... ahh..." She tried to respond again.

"It's okay... just lay down, and let me end your misery, little roserade..." Viola said.

Darkness started to consume Sophia's vision. She could feel her energy fade quickly. Her eye lids were heavy, making it difficult to keep them open. Her legs were wobbly, and slowly, she started to tumble forward.

"That's it..."

More darkness.

"And don't worry either..."

Nothing but darkness as she fell forward.

"I'll make sure to take good care of Aaron..."

"Ghh...!...ughh..."

Sophia fell to the floor. She could barely see now. Viola advanced to the fallen girl. Raising her heavily aura infused scimitar over Sophia, the Queen smiled.

"Farewell, **Sophia**." Viola spat and stabbed her sword down hard. The Ex-roserade closed her eyes as she waited for her fate.

But it never came.

Instead, the white haired girl heard metal breaking and a pained gasp. She felt something spatter on her back. The Ex-roserade opened her eyes, and what she saw horrified her.

Standing in front of her was Aaron, slightly bending his knees. He was holding his clay-more in a defensive stance, attempting to stop the killing blow. However, the scimitar sailed around the clay-more by an inch and went into his chest, breaking through the armor as if it was nothing. The blade charged through him deeply, emerging from his back. Aaron's blood dripped from the edge of the blade and onto the floor.

When the scimitar stabbed Aaron, Viola let out a horrified gasp and let go of the sword. She backed up and stared at him in shock, her eyes wide in fear.

"Wha-?! I... how are you mov-?! I-I... N-no...!" Viola yelped.

Aaron dropped the clay-more and glanced at the scimitar embedded in the chest. Looking back up at Viola, he slowly grabbed the scimitar's handle. He tried to speak, but his words came out as groans and gurgles.

"Wait! No, **DON'T** -!" Viola tried to stop him.

Her cries did nothing however, and she watched him yank the scimitar out of his chest. He cried out once he did, and fell back, dropping the sword in the process. His body tumbled backwards, which made Sophia jump quickly to catch him. Getting onto her knees, she caught Aaron in her arms and did her best to lay his body down. His head rested on her lap, and she looked into his eyes in terror.

Aaron looked back into her red orbs, and slowly reached his hand out to her face. His bloody palm cupped her cheek as his vision darkened.

"So... phi... aaa..." Aaron murmured before he let out his last breath and closed his eyes. His arm dropped to the side, and his body went limp.

"... Aaron...?" The Ex-roserade whispered, and received no answer from the dead teen. "... Aaron? Aaron?!"

She shook him, and even tried to cover him in her aura to heal him. But nothing worked. His body stayed motionless and started to grow cold. More of his blood poured out of his wound and onto the ground.

"No... no...!" Tears started to form in Sophia's eyes, and her breathing increased rapidly, becoming more ragged with each breath. She placed her hands on her hair, which was covered in Aaron's blood, and grabbed it. "Ghh... ghh...! **GHAAAAAAAAAAA!** "

Sophia screamed at the ceiling and let her tears flow down her face. Absolute terror and emptiness consumed her. Her screaming continued, only stopping to catch a quick breath every few seconds.

Viola stared at Aaron's body with wide eyes. She glanced down at her hands, which were shaking violently. She trembled where she stood.

"I... I-I... k-ki-killed..." She muttered. "... I didn't... I didn't... mean to... I-I..."

Viola's quickly saw Aaron's sabre on the ground near the heavy bars. She couldn't help but notice how... friendly it looked. It was like the sword was calling to her, telling her to meet the same fate her beloved Aaron met. She used her psychic powers to bring to the sword to her. The sabre flew across the air handle first, and landed in the Queen's hand.

 _"Go on, do it.'_ Viola's thoughts echoed. _"This is what you deserve. You've murdered the man of your dreams, you deserve to die by his sword.'_

She pointed the blade towards her heart. Her hands still shook violently. Tears started to fall down her cheeks as she wept silently.

"I'm sorry Aaron..." She whispered. "But... at least we can together again this way!"

She chuckled awkwardly for a few seconds before she rammed the blade through her chest. She gasped sharply and painfully as the cold metal stabbed through her heart. Blood spilled from her mouth as she dropped to her knees.

"... See you... soon..." Viola smiled as she tumbled forward. "... My love..." The Queen's body hit the ground as she let out her last breath.

On the other side of the heavy bars, all of the bellator soldiers stopped their attacking simultaneously. They looked through the heavy bars and saw that their leader was dead. They all felt their fierce loyalty suddenly break, and started dropping their weapons.

"The Queen..." A bellator soldier shook. "... is dead...?"

The Aurora soldiers looked at their enemies in confusion before looking at the other side of the bars. However, instead of looking at the dead Queen, they saw Aaron laying down on Sophia's lap, bloody and still.

"R-r-run! Retreat!" A bellator soldier screamed to her fellow soldiers. The rest of the soldiers ran past the Aurora force, who didn't even pay attention to their retreat. They were more focused on Aaron's body.

Caroline ran to one of the bars and tried to move it. Glowing in her green aura, she pushed harder agaisnt the heavy bar. Said bar didn't move however.

"Help me!" She barked at her soldiers. "Get these things out of the way NOW!"

The Aurora soldiers snapped out of their trance and ran to assist the ginger. A couple of them grabbed the bar Carol held and started pushing and pulling on it to move it. Leo, Beth, and a couple other soldiers went to another bar and started to push and pull it in an opposite direction. Mac walked between the two bars and put his hand on both, and started to push them with all his strength, even glowing in his aura to do so.

The bars started to move with all of their combined strength. Once they were separated far enough, Carol slipped through the opening and ran to Sophia. The rest of the company followed her once the hole was big enough. The ginger glanced over towards Melissa's position and pointed a finger at her.

"Beth, go help her!" She yelled. The raven haired girl nodded and ran towards Melissa with two soldiers following her. Carol focused her attention on the Ex-roserade. "Sophia! Sophia are-?"

She stopped talking and running when she got close enough to Sophia and Aaron. She saw the large bloody gash in Aaron's chest, and the bloody scimitar on the ground near him. Carol knelt down near Sophia, who was staring blankly at Aaron's body. Some of her snow white hair was cover in blood, along with one of her cheeks being mostly covered in the red liquid.

Caroline stayed speechless as she placed her hand gently on her second in command's neck, feeling his cold skin. Withdrawing it, she placed her other hand on Sophia's shoulder worryingly and closed her eyes in sadness.

"Ma'am..." Leo said quietly as he approached the ginger. "... What should we do...?"

Caroline remained quiet as she held Sophia's shoulder, whose expression didn't change as time went on, staring blankly at the dead body in front of her.

* * *

 **The next day.**

Silence filled the room, an eerie silence. Carol sat quietly on one of the chairs against the wall of the infirmary. She watched over the two beds in front of her and their occupants, which contained Sophia and Melissa, both were sleeping quietly. However, Melissa started to groan in her sleep, and suddenly sprang up with wide eyes.

"Who what when where and why?!" The brunette yelled quickly. She groaned afterwards and held her head in pain.

"... Hey Melissa." Carol greeted quietly.

"... Carol?" Melissa groaned. "... What happened...?"

"You... went unconscious back at the castle. We brought you back to base to heal up..." She answered.

"... Right..." Melissa moaned. "Did we... win?"

Caroline lowered her head. "Yeah... we won... The knights and their Queen are dead."

Melissa raised a eyebrow at the ginger, curious as why she's so sad at such great news. She glanced towards her left and saw Sophia sleeping in her bed. She glanced towards her right, and saw more empty beds.

"Hey, where's Aaron?" She asked. "Is he in another infirmary?"

Carol clenched her hands into fists. She inhaled sharply then sighed. Seeing this made Melissa's worry increase.

"... Aaron..." The ginger breathed. "... fell... during the battle..."

The brunette's eyes dilated. " _What?_ "

"... I'm sorry... He's dead." Carol frowned sadly.

Silence filled the air once again. Melissa stared at the ginger before closing her eyes and shook her head. She laughed softly, which confused Carol.

"Ha ha... you almost got me there!" Melissa laughed. "... heh... but seriously, where's Aaron?"

Carol furrowed her brows and made full eye contact with her. "I told you... he's dead."

Now it was Melissa's turn to frown. "Come on, stop joking. Where is he?"

"I'm not joking," Caroline now stood up from her seat, now giving the brunette a glare. "He's gone Melissa, **Aaron's DEAD**."

Melissa responded to her glare with her own. The stared at each in silence again for a couple seconds before Melissa sighed.

"Fine," She seethed and rose from her bed. "Where are my clothes?"

"... What?" Carol asked, still surprised by her reaction.

"It's obvious that you won't tell me where he is." Melissa walked away from her bed. "So I'm gonna change out of this gown and look for him myself. Where are my clothes?"

"Melissa..." The ginger frowned sadly again. "Don't do this to yourself, please."

The brunette however, ignored her and looked to her right, finding a closet on the other side of the room.

"They must be in there." Melissa stated as she walked over towards it.

"Melissa!" Carol called out as she went after the brunette. "Please, I know it's hard to accept, but-!"

"Stop it!" Melissa turned around quickly to yell at the ginger. "He would _never_ die on us, or on me! We swore to each other th-that...!"

She started to choke on her words as tears began to emerge in her eyes. She closed them and shook her head, but the tears started to flow down her cheeks.

"W-we swore... that we would w-watch over each other..." She cried softly. "... That way... we w-w-wouldn't... d-d-disappear... l-like... R...R-Ryan... W-we... s-s-s-swore..."

"Melissa..." Sophia's voice came from the other side of the room, gaining the other's attention. She sat on her bed and stared at her hands, which where shaking violently.

"Carol's... right..." The Ex-roserade whispered as she started to cry. "Aaron... d-died... in my arms... He's g-gone..."

The brunette held her head and fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her face as she wept sadly. Carol knelt down besides her and wrapped her in an embrace.

"No!" Melissa cried into Carol's shoulder. "No...! please... I don't want to be alone! They were there for me... when I needed them the most! I don't want to be alone! I don't... want to... be... alone..."

"I'm sorry Melissa," Carol whispered to the brunette. "I'm so sorry."

Sophia listened to the exchange between the two and kept looking at her shaking hands. Her tears fell onto them, slowly making them wet.

"I don't... want to be... alone... either..." She whispered.

* * *

It's been a week since the battle of bellator castle. Casteila City was slowly being rebuilt. Both people and Pokemon worked hard to fix what was destroyed during the battle. The members of Aurora's Light were hailed as heroes for protecting the city.

A massive funeral was held for those that died during the bloody battle. Sophia and Melissa watched as Aaron's body was buried into the ground. Both were silent, and both cried heavily as their friend was put to rest.

After the funeral, the city leaders decided to make Aurora's Light into the New Unova Defense Force. Caroline agreed, and soon became the chief of the New UDF. She, along with Leo, Beth, Mac, and a large company of soldiers hunted down the remains of the bellator army, who were scattered throughout the region.

Melissa, enraged by Aaron's death, joined in on the hunt. She showed no mercy to the bellator soldiers she fought. Once the last of their forces were destroyed, she went into a deep depression. She drank to wash away her sorrow, slowly becoming an alcoholic. But it didn't help, and she sunk further into depression. Caroline would keep her company when she could, and would do her best to comfort the hurt brunette.

As for Sophia...

She was... sad.

She felt alone, and empty.

It was late at night in the city. Sophia was walking towards her house. She opened the door, and slowly entered into the darkened household. She reached for the wall, and turned on the lights, illuminating the kitchen in a bright light.

It's been a while since she's been in the house. Seeing the lifeless kitchen however, slowly brought back memories. Memories of a more... pleasant time.

* * *

 _Melissa stood near the fridge, holding a large saw in her hands. She grabbed the lock and started to saw away at it. A satisfied smile consumed her face as the saw started to cut through the lock._

 _However, the smile would soon fade_ _once Aaron walked into the kitchen with Sophia tailing behind him. A frown was plastered on his._

 _"Melissa! What are you doing?! And where did you get that saw?!" He yelled._

 _"What does it look like I'm doing?!" The brunette yelled back. "I'm trying to get into the fridge so I can eat! And took this saw from your shed!"_

 _"I don't think so!" Aaron yelled as he ran towards her and snatched the saw from her hands. Melissa immediately tried to take it back, but Aaron held it up and back from her reach._

 _"No! Give it back! I'm hungry!" Melissa whined._

 _"No can do." Aaron scolded. "You'll eat everything in that fridge. Do you want Sophia and I to starve to death?"_

 _"Give it back!" Melissa still whined as she continued to reach for the saw. "Give it baaaaaaaack!"_

 _Aaron rolled his eyes at the flailing brunette, and Sophia smiled and laughed at the two's actions. She enjoyed it when they bickered among each other._

* * *

The memory ceased, and Sophia now looked into the now lifeless kitchen. The lock was still on the fridge, and still had the damages Melissa inflicted onto it.

A ping of hurt hit her heart, and she continued further into the house. The next room was slightly darkened, but was slightly brightened by the lights from the kitchen. Sophia reached for the wall again and flipped the light switch.

The living room was brightened up by lights, just like kitchen. And shared another trait with the other room, the living room was also lifeless. But like before, seeing it sent another memory through Sophia's head.

* * *

 _The three friends sat around the table of the living room. Aaron was writing down on a piece of paper. Once he finished, he held it up in front of Sophia. The writing contained the word 'adorable', which was written largely and was split up between syllables._

 _"Alright Sophia," Aaron smiled. "We're going to try some bigger words now. See if you can say 'adorable'. A-DOR-ABLE."_

 _"Really?" Melissa raised a eyebrow. "Of all the big words in the human language, you choose something sappy like adorable?"_

 _"Hey! A word is a word!" Aaron defended himself. "Besides, I have more for her to try out."_

 _"Whatever," Melissa rolled her eyes. "Alright Sophia, try to say it."_

 _The Ex-Roserade squinted at the word. "A-a-a-dor-dor-dor-ab-able."_

 _"Nice!" Aaron congratulated. "Now see if can say it all at once."_

 _Sophia inhaled sharply before she spoke. "A-d-dor-able. Adore-a-able. Ador-able."_

 _"See?! You're getting better and better!" Melissa smiled. "Before you know it, you'll be saying Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore with ease!"_

 _"Hmph, trying saying that two times as fast..." Aaron said. "Such a tongue twist-"_

 _"Sallysellsseashellsbytheseashore." Sophia said quickly and smiled at the two._

 _Aaron and Melissa blinked and stared at the Ex-Roseade in disbelief. Both were speechless, and Melissa felt her jaw drop._

 _"W-w-what?" Sophia asked them innocently._

* * *

The memory stopped. Now the table was empty. The chairs were strung about, and the table was dusty, showing that it hasn't been cleaned in a while. The atmosphere of the living room was filled with dread.

Walking away from the entrance, Sophia continued through the house until she reached the door to the master bedroom. When she touched the door-knob, another sting went through her heart. She slowly opened the door, and walked into the bedroom.

Turning on the lights, the room lit up. She saw the bed they used to sleep on, and saw the blankets were messy. Sophia remembered that she slept on it a week ago, when they returned to the house to get the dark gems.

But that wasn't all that she remembered. Another memory ran through her mind. This one hurt Sophia to her core, and made her fall onto her knees.

* * *

 _Aaron and Sophia stood near the bed. The Ex-Roserade held onto Aaron's arms as she tried to walk forward, not used to her longer legs._

 _"That's it Sophia," Aaron encouraged her. "You can do it, it's easy."_

 _Sophia listened to his words of encouragement, and tried to move her wobbly legs forward. She moved her right leg first. Once her foot touched the floor, she moved her left leg forward. Her left foot landed besides her right one, successfully moving her body._

 _"Good Sophia," Aaron said as he backed up, giving her more room to move. "Keep moving, you can do this."_

 _Sophia smiled, and tried moving her left leg first this time. However, her right leg started to buckle forward, and she started to fall forward as well. She gasped in surprise, but quickly grabbed onto Aaron, who quickly moved to grab her when she fell forward._

 _"It's alright, I gotcha." He smiled warmly. "I'll always be there to catch you."_

 _She smiled back at him, and moved up so she could cling onto him better. She sighed warmly as he moved her so she was standing straight again. He quickly wrapped her in an embrace._

 _"As long as I'm here, I'll always catch you before you'll fall." Aaron said. "And as long as I live, I'll help you in any way I can."_

* * *

Tears fell down her face. She didn't even know she was crying until now. Her hands gripped her white hair as she let the tears flow. She whimpered in her spot.

"I'm sorry..." Sophia cried. "You're dead because of me... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... You shouldn't have died that day... It should've been me... And now that you're gone... I'm alone... I'm alone... I'm alone... and empty without you...

"I'm so sorry... Aaron..." She continued to cry into the night.

 **Alternate Ending One: Empty and Alone**

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _Hey guys, Theta-Shuffle here. This is one of the alternate endings I mentioned back in the final chapter of A Roserade's Wish. I going to make another one soon, so watch out for that one._

 _Also, I'm sorry for the horrible lack of updates. Not only have I been REALLY busy with school, I haven't really been in a 'writing fan-fiction mood' for a long time. I'm sorry for that. I still plan on making that sequel though! I just need the right motivation._

 _And one more thing. If you think_ this _alternate ending is bad, just wait until the_ next _one. That one makes this one look tame in comparison._

 _(Quick edit!) I forgot to mention something! I bet you guys are wondering why Viola's soldiers suddenly snapped and ran off in fear. This was something I forgot to mention in the main story. The reason why they ran off so quickly isn't because they're cowards. (Most of them anyways.) They ran off because the psychic connection between them and Viola broke when she died. You see, Viola has the ability to use her psychic powers to 'boost' her army, increasing their morale and making them stronger. This also doesn't drain her powers at all either, so she could use this simultaneously with her other moves._ _(She's just that much of a Mary Sue.)_

 _However, should the connection suddenly break between her and the army, (if she dies or something blocks her powers long enough) their minds will suddenly snap, making them go through a large amount of confusion and fear. Hench why they ran off. This move is really a double edge sword, but since Viola was being over confident, she thought she could use said power to easily win the battle._

 _That back fired in this ending._

 _Alright, enough of my rambling. I'll see you guys later!_

 ** _Theta-Shuffle_**


	27. Alternate Ending Two

_Author's Note_

 _Alright guys, this alternate ending is a LOT more dark than the last one. This ending contains psychological and physical torture, non-consensual sexual activity(An obnoxious warning has been placed for those of you who don't want to read it), mentioning of rape, and overall depression. Read at your discretion._

* * *

Alternate Ending Two

Suddenly, and violently, Sophia's entire body arched up as a large slash appeared on her stomach. She screamed in agony as her red blood gushed out and stained her roserade dress. The red liquid came out of her mouth as she choked back another scream. Before she knew it, she was violently hit by a aura infused kick, and flew back first into the metal bars that separated her from the others.

The white haired girl was surprisingly still on her feet, but was still in the worst pain she's ever felt. She let Aaron's sabre drop from her grasp, making it clank against the ground. Everything got extremely blurry for Sophia, and time was slowing down for her as well.

"I'm a little surprised you're still standing." Viola's voice called out to her. "But we both know you're about to collapse any second now."

"G... ghh... ahgg..." Sophia tried to respond.

She could hear her enemy's laugh. "Come on, why don't you fall and rest? It'll be quick, I promise..."

"Ha... ghhh... ahh..." She tried to respond again.

"It's okay... just lay down, and let me end your misery, little roserade..." Viola said.

Darkness started to consume Sophia's vision. She could feel her energy fade quickly. Her eye lids were heavy, making it difficult to keep them open. Her legs were wobbly, and slowly, she started to tumble forward.

"That's it..."

More darkness.

"And don't worry either..."

Nothing but darkness as she fell forward.

"I'll make sure to take good care of Aaron..."

"Ghh...! ughh..."

Sophia fell to the floor. She could barely see now. Viola advanced to the fallen girl. Raising her heavily aura infused scimitar over Sophia, the Queen smiled.

"Farewell, **Sophia**." Viola spat and slashed her sword down hard. The ex-roserade closed her eyes as she waited for her fate.

But it never came.

Instead, she heard metal clash against metal and a low grunt. Sophia opened her eyes, and saw Aaron standing in front of her. He held his clay-more against Viola's scimitar, locking the two blades. He glowed in his blue aura, however, like the battle in castelia city, it was dimmed down compared to how it usually glows.

Viola's eyes widened when their swords entered the lock. However, her surprised look changed into a smile a few seconds into the lock. "Your strength continues to surprise and impress me, Aaron," the queen admitted. "Those attacks from before should've kept you down, and yet here you are, standing in the way."

The armored teen breathed heavily, exhausted and injured from the battle. He sent Viola a defiant glare and made his aura flare a little, but he coughed a second later, returning it to it's dimmed state."I won't... let you... hurt her... anymore...!" Aaron panted.

His comment made the queen frown. "Why can't you see your so called _**'friends'**_ ," she said with venom laced in the word. "Are just holding you back from reaching your full potential?! I want to help and purify you my love, but I can't do that with them getting in the way!"

"Shut up...!" he groaned out. "I'd rather _die_ than be at your side...! I've already lost one friend, I won't lose anymore...!"

"They're making you say that Aaron!" Viola argued back. "They've corrupted you, they've turned you against me! They deserve to die!"

Those last words sent sparks through Aaron's body. He lowered his head and started to gain control of his breathing. Suddenly, he pushed Viola away from the lock, the queen backed up and looked at his dark expression. His blue aura was no longer dim, and started to extend off his body.

"They... deserve... to _die?_ " he growled in a low voice.

His aura continued to increase, and was now greatly extending off his body. The jagged clay-more was also covered in the massive amounts of the fire-like substance. Behind him, Sophia watched in awe as she still laid on the ground injured.

"... Aaron...?" she breathed out, but it was too quiet for the armored teen to hear.

"They deserve... to _**die?**_ " Aaron repeated in a louder voice. Blazing rage scorched through his mind as he felt Viola's psychic transfusions break one by one.

The queen backed up a little more as Aaron's aura began to flare. Her purple eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do. "Aaron, wait! Don't-!"

" **They deserve to DIE?!** " His yell interrupted her. His eyes shot open, and blue aura emerged from them, making them appear like they were set aflame in blue fire. Great amounts of his aura blasted off his body with each passing second. " **If anyone here deserves death, it's YOU!** " He yelled as he pointed the blade of the clay-more towards her, great amounts of aura came off of it.

"... A-R..." Viola whispered.

The enraged teen vanished in thin air. Gasping in a split second, Viola jumped back just in time as Aaron reappeared in her previous spot with his clay-more slammed on the ground. The queen started to levitate away and made her eyes glow, making Aaron get covered in psychic energy and taking his ability to move. However, the enraged teen groaned loudly as his arms slowly started to shake and move. The queen flinched as the energy around Aaron cracked and shattered when he lashed his arms out. The pieces of psychic energy flew and dispersed in the air.

Aaron growled hatefully before he disappeared again. Viola's eyes widened as she quickly dashed herself to the right, narrowly dodging a stab from Aaron's clay-more when he reappeared near her. The queen quickly reared her foot back and kicked the enraged teen away from her, making him crash on the floor with a pained gasp. Viola watched worryingly as Aaron got back on his feet, still flaring in his aura. However, despite how quickly he was able to move, he was still heavily injured from the previous battle, and the queen knew this.

 _"He takes anymore damage, he's dead...'_ Viola thought. _"Same deal if he stays like that any longer. I have to knock him out, but how?'_ She knew trapping him in psychic energy wouldn't work, he's too strong for her to hold. Hurting him is out of the question, otherwise he'll die. Talking him down defiantly wouldn't work either. Within a split second, an idea came to her. _"The psychic infusions!'_ she yelled in her mind. _"Since he broke the first three when he went A-R, they should've reset, meaning the first or second ones should knock him out!'_

The bellator queen lowered herself to the ground. She stared at Aaron, who glared hatefully at her. Viola noted how he breathed raggedly and heavily, showing that he wouldn't last much longer.

 _"Gotta make this quick.'_

She covered her left index finger in the psychic energy and charged at him. The enraged teen did the same, and soon the two clashed the weapons together, entering another lock. Aaron pushed his clay-more hard agaisnt Viola's scimitar, making the queen back up in the lock. Wasting no more time, Viola drew her left hand back and had the energy covered finger pointed out. Then, she rammed said finger onto the armored teen's head. Aaron yelled in pain as he dropped the clay-more to hold his head. His aura dimmed significantly, but the blue fire in his eyes remained.

Knowing that she needed to do it again, Viola covered the same index finger with the psychic infusion and charged at the still enraged teen. Aaron, who was still holding his head in pain, didn't look up until it was too late. Once he did, Viola rammed the finger onto his head again. Aaron gasped and groaned afterwards. His arms dropped to his sides as he stopped glowing in his aura. The blue flames in his eyes vanished.

Letting out a tired groan, Aaron went unconscious and tumbled forward. Viola however caught him before he could hit the floor. She immediately checked his heartbeat, and to her massive relief, it was still there. She gently lowered the rest of his body onto the ground and sighed. She peered at Aaron one more time before she glanced over at Sophia. The white hair girl was still on the ground and in the same spot. Her eyes were slightly open and her breathing was heavy. Viola advanced towards the fallen girl, but stopped when a thought passed through her head.

 _"If I kill her, or any of them, Aaron will go A-R again. Even if I stop him with the infusions again, he might go A-R afterwards.'_ A scowl formed on her face. _"Meaning... I have to let the scum live. If I want Aaron, they_ have _to live... damn it!'_

Sophia looked up slightly and saw the Queen approach her. Viola kicked her over so Sophia was laying on her back. She panted as the queen glared down at her.

"You have no idea how lucky you savages are." Viola raised her foot over Sophia's head, making the ex-roserade's eyes widen. "See you soon," Viola spat as she stomped on Sophia's head, knocking out the white hair girl.

* * *

The ever familiar feeling of exhaustion consumed Aaron as he woke up. His vision was blurry, and his head felt split open. He tried to move his arm to touch his aching forehead. However, to his horror, he couldn't move.

 _"No...'_ He pulled his arms, but they stayed in place. He tried moving his legs, but got the same results. _"No no no!'_

He knew where he was, inside the same room where he was locked in the same chair. He was no longer within the heavy armor the enemy gave him, and instead wore his regular attire. Aaron thrashed his body around the chair, but he and the chair stayed in place. After a few more seconds of struggling, his movement came to a halt. His head was lowered and his eyes were closed. Aaron felt someone watching him, and he knew who it was, who _she_ was. His fear spiked as seconds went by.

"Why?" he whispered.

Leaning agaisnt the door with her arms crossed was none other than Viola. She wore a new blue dress, since her previous black dress was heavily damaged in the battle. The dress had a v-neck, and near the bottom the gown was split towards the right, revealing one of her slender legs. The queen watched when Aaron struggled in the chair and kept silent while she did. A blank expression was on her face.

"Because," she said as she took a step forward. "This is for your own good. As I stated before, you'll resist too much for me to purify you."

Aaron didn't bother to argue with her, for he knew it would be a waste of time. Instead, he had another question pending on his mind. "Where are they?"

"Who...?" Viola went on.

"You know who I'm talking about Viola." Aaron raised his head to send a glare her way. "Where are they?"

She kept silent as he glared at her. Sighing, Viola brought up her xtransceiver and tapped on it. After a few seconds, she approached the restrained teen and showed the image on the device to him. The image showed three people bounded to chairs similar to Aaron's. Upon a closer look, Aaron realized it was Beth, Leo, and Mac, his captains. They all seemed to be unconscious.

"See?" Viola smiled as she swiped her finger across the screen, bringing another image on the screen. This time it showed Carol, Melissa, and Sophia suspended against a wall. "They're all alive. Injured yes, but alive. I even spared those squads of barbarians in case if your wondering."

As Aaron checked the images, a wave of relief washed over his body. While they were hurt, they were still alive, and that's all that mattered to the bounded teen. Those good thoughts passed however, due to Viola pushing one of fingers against his head, which covered in psychic energy. Aaron groaned as the waves of energy invaded his mind, and felt light headed afterwards.

"Back to where we left off!" Viola smiled. "Aren't you glad?"

Aaron turned his head away and remained silent, choosing to stay quiet rather than talk and look at her. Just like before, he felt the vast majority of his hate for her vanish. All that was left was fear.

"And when I use this on your 'friends', they should change in an instant!" the queen exclaimed.

"What?" Aaron spoke up, completely surprised. "You're going to-?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" Viola said. "All of your friends, except _Caroline_ , will be joining my army. Of course they won't do so willing, so I'll need to use these psychic infusions on them."

The restrained teen's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Don't worry love, the pain that comes with it won't last for long. That, and since I'm just trying to make them loyal to me, the infusions will be much less straining on my powers. In fact, compared to the love infusions, it's takes very little of my power away."

"No!" Aaron yelled. "Please, leave them alone! They shouldn't have to go through that!"

"Sweetheart, I know you're concerned, but don't fret!" Viola said gleefully. "In fact, you should be glad! Your friends will be joining us in our conquest! You guys will still be together!"

"Please Viola!" Aaron begged. "Don't do this to them! You'll alter their very minds! They won't be the same!"

The queen shook her head, to much of the restrained teen's dismay. "I've already made up my mind Aaron, they _will_ join us. Speaking of which, I need to get going, since they should be waking up by now."

The bellator queen walked to the door and opened it. Aaron protested her to stop, but she wouldn't listen to his pleas and walked out.

"No, wait! Please!" Aaron yelled as she closed the door and locked it. "Viola! **VIOLA!** "

* * *

Leo groaned as his vision came to. His body ached, and he realized he couldn't move. He pulled his arms, but they wouldn't budge. Same deal with his legs, even when he glowed in his aura. "What is this?" He groaned.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Leo." A voice from his right said. Leo instantly turned his head and saw Mac. The large man was cuffed to a large chair, making Leo realize why he couldn't move.

"Mac? Where are we? What happened?" Leo asked quickly.

"We lost..." Another voice from his right said weakly. Leo turned his head, and saw Beth in the same chair he and Mac were in. She too was bounded to it.

"Beth?" Leo breathed.

"Back in the throne room," Beth continued. "We fought wave after wave of bellator soldiers. We were holding them off for a while, until _she_ came into the fray. One by one, each of our flying pokemon fell to the ground, each one unconscious. Then, none of us could move. Their queen used her psychic powers on us, rendering us immobile. After that, the grunts swarmed and beat us down. We got overwhelmed, and were quickly defeated. Now, we're in this room, stuck and cut off from everyone else." Beth lowered her head as she finished.

Leo nodded as the memories of the battles came back. But one question still weighed in his mind. "Why did they spare us?"

"I don't know," Beth answered. "But I do know they have plans for us, otherwise they would've killed us."

Several clicks came from the door, which made all three bound captains snap their attention at it. The door unlocked,and opened up. The bright light coming from it blinded the trio, making them cringe and look away. Once it closed, they looked up, and felt their hearts drop when they saw who it was.

"Hello there," Viola greeted the three.

Leo sent her a scowl, displeased by her presence. "Cynical bitch."

"Oh my, you shouldn't greet a lady like that!" Viola shrugged off. She trailed around the three chairs, making them uneasy.

"What do you want with us?" Mac asked lowly.

Viola remained silent as she trailed around the chairs. A smile crept up on her face once she was behind them. "You three, along with that Melissa girl, are responsible for killing all of my knights."

"What? Are you mad at us?" Leo asked with fake concern.

"Mad?" Viola chuckled as she came around and stood in front of the trio. "I'm not mad. If anything, I'm impressed."

"You're... impressed?" Beth asked slowly. "Impressed that we killed your knights?"

"Of course," Viola confirmed. "They weren't exactly push overs you know."

Leo spoke up. "So what are you going to do? Kill us for revenge?"

"Kill you? I plan on doing no such thing," Viola answered. "You three are much more useful to me alive than dead."

"If you don't plan us killing us, then what?" Mac spoke up."Are you going to interrogate us for information?"

"If I wanted to get information from you, I would just rip it from your heads with my powers," Viola answered again. "No, instead... I want you three to become my new knights!"

The trio went silent at the Queen's statement. They glanced quickly at one another and came to a silent agreement before they went back to glaring Viola.

"... Excuse me?" Beth whispered.

Viola chuckled again. "You heard me dear. You three surpassed my previous knight's power and killed them, making you prime candidates for replacing them!"

"You're joking, right?" Leo spat at the Queen. "We would never join you! Especially after the terrible things you've done! We'd rather die than be your knights!"

Viola walked towards Leo's chair, chuckling as she did. Her right hand glowed in psychic energy once she was in front of him. "So defiant, tell me, foolish boy." Viola ceased her laughter, but kept her smile. She raised the energy covered hand over Leo's head. " **Who gave you a choice in the matter?** "

She quickly placed the hand on Leo's shaggy hair. Once the energy started to invade his mind, Leo screamed painfully. His thoughts became twisted with each passing second as the Queen continued. Beth and Mac watched in horror as their friend screamed. Both of them started to pull agaisnt their restraints, trying to get free to help their friend.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Beth screamed. "Please! Stop!"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Mac bellowed. "Leo! Hang in there! LEO!"

Leo continued to yell until it became a low groan. His once blue eyes were now a dark purple. His groaning continued until Viola removed her hand from his head. The brunet's head slumped forward as he went unconscious.

"Wh... what did you do to him...?" Beth whispered. "What did you do to Leo?!"

Viola smiled at her work before responding to Beth. "I made him loyal to me. When he wakes up, he'll become my new knight." She glanced over at Mac now. "You're next."

The large man recoiled back into his chair once the queen approached him. Her hand was still covered in the energy, and she quickly placed it on Mac's head. The bald man gasped and yelled as the energy invaded his head.

"No! NO! MAC!" Beth screamed as tears started to form in her eyes. "STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE! MAC! **MAC!** " her pleading did nothing to stop Viola from changing Mac's mind. Soon, his yelling ceased, and his eye's where the same color as Leo's, a dark purple. His head lowered as his vision darkened. "Mac..." Beth cried.

"Aww, you shouldn't cry..." Viola smiled at the raven haired girl. "Because you'll be joining them right now."

Beth's eyes widened as she pushed back into the chair. Her arms and legs were shaking violently with fear as the bellator queen approached her. This time, both of Viola's hands were cover in the psychic energy as she raised them at the raven haired girl.

"No, nonono! Please!" Beth continued to cry as Viola placed both of her hands on the raven hair girl's head. " **No, NO! Gah! GAAAAAAAAAAH!** "

* * *

Sophia groaned softly as she woke up. Her senses where hazy and she couldn't move. As her vision slowly came to, the ex-roserade noticed that she was in a poorly lit room. She glanced over to her right, and saw Melissa suspended right next to her, still asleep. Metal cuffs were wrapped around her wrists and were connected to heavy chains that attached to the ceiling. Even her legs were cuffed, and had chains that were attached to the floor. Sophia looked up at her arms and saw they were trapped in the same manner as Melissa's. She pulled them, but they stayed in place. Even when she glowed in her aura and pulled, they didn't move from their spot, which confused her.

"Don't bother Sophia," Carol's voice came from her left. She looked at the ginger, and saw that she too was suspended like Melissa and herself. "These cuffs are specifically designed to hold aura users. We aren't getting out of these anytime soon." she continued.

Sophia ceased her struggle as a ping of worry struck her, knowing that she couldn't escape the cuffs. Just then, a small groan came from Melissa. The brunette shook lightly for a few seconds before she opened her eyes.

"Ugh... Who...? W-what...? When..." Melissa groaned.

"Melissa..." Sophia mumbled, but loud enough for the brunette to hear. "Are you alright...?"

Melissa glanced over at the ex-roserade and gave her a small smile. "I've been better. Could really do without the handcuffs and chains though." she looked around the room and furrowed her eyebrows. "Where are we?"

"We're still in the castle," Carol answered. "Where exactly however, I don't know."

"That's... bad," Melissa mumbled. "So I take it you don't know where the others are?"

The ginger shook her head. "No, but I can sense that they're nearby..." she led off as she furrowed her brows, frowning while she did.

"What is it?" Sophia asked.

"I also sense... a lot of fear coming from all of them." Caroline responded.

"Are they being tortured?" Melissa asked.

The ginger shook her head once more. "If they were getting hurt, I would feel it. Something else is-" she stopped herself with a sharp gasp when Leo's scream echoed through her head. Her green eyes widened as she felt his pain and terror.

"What is it?!" Melissa yelled.

"It's... Leo," Caroline gapsed. "He's... something's happening! It's like his very mind is under attack!"

"It must be _her_ ," Sophia said. "She's the only one here that can do something like that!"

Caroline shut her eyes and lowered her head. She clenched her teeth together and groaned as Leo's pain continued through her mind. After a few seconds, it slowly went away, but Leo himself didn't feel the same.

"Carol...?" Melissa mumbled.

"His... his pain stopped, but..." The ginger whispered. "Leo, he... his mind feels different. It's like he's a different person now..."

"That bitch!" Melissa yelled in anger. "She's scum, absolute SCUM!"

"Leo... ghh!" Caroline's eyes widened again as more pain went through her head. This time, the agony came from someone else. "M...Mac...!"

Sophia and Melissa watched in horror as Carol writhed and groaned. Her eyes were shut tight as she shook her head. After a few more seconds, she gasped and panted heavily.

"M-Mac is... She... changed him too..." Caroline panted, shaking horribly. Not a moment later, the ginger felt massive waves of fear coming from her last captain. "She's going after Beth now!"

Sophia lowered her head as sadness consumed her. Her eyes were watery, and a few tears fell down her face. She didn't want to think about the horrors that the trio had to go through, but seeing Carol go through their pain brought images to the white haired girl's head that scared her to no end.

Melissa, unlike Sophia, was enraged by this. Hearing that their very minds were being changed made the brunette hate Viola even more, which she didn't think was possible. Melissa really wanted the queen to die, but she also wanted to help the three captains.

Soon, Caroline let out another groan of pain. However, unlike the cases with Leo and Mac, Beth was going through _terrible_ pain, twice as much when compared to Leo's and Mac's. Her screaming echoed within the ginger's mind, making her gasp and shake once more.

It was times like this did Caroline truly hate the aura sense. While it was useful to find her friends and sense how powerful someone is, it was a terrible thing to have when they're going through something like torture. Not only could she feel their pain, she could feel their fear, or what ever emotion they're going through. Along with their _screaming_ , their screams felt endless.

After a few more agonizing seconds, Caroline no longer felt or heard Beth. Like Leo and Mac, Beth's mind was altered, she was no longer felt the same. Caroline balled her hands into fists and lowered her. A tear streamed down her cheek.

"D-dammit..." Caroline choked. "... Damn her...!"

The three sat there in silence within the room for several minutes, each one delving in their own emotions. Their silence was broken however, once the door on the other side of the room unlocked and opened. The bright light from the other side blinded the trio, causing them to shut their eyes tight. Once the door closed, their eyes opened and were set on the new addition in the room.

Viola stood near the door, staring at the three with a blank expression. She saw their emotions pastered on their faces. Sophia's was full of fear, Caroline's was of sadness, and Melissa's was absolute rage.

" _You_..." The brunette seethed. "What did you do to them? _What did you do to them?!_ "

The queen raised one of her eyebrow's at Melissa, wondering how she knew that she cleansed the previous three. Then her eyes landed on Caroline again, and she remebered her aura sense.

"Oh, right..." Viola smiled and walked towards the trio, looking at the ginger while she did. "I almost forgot about your ability. Seeing as how your awake right now, I can only guess that you've felt and heard everything, didn't you?"

"Answer me!" Melissa shouted at the queen. "What did you do to Leo, Mac, and Beth?!"

The queen glanced at her, not effected by her shouting in the slightest. "I made them my new knights," Viola answered. "And one of you, besides _Carol_ , will become the last new knight, I just trying to figure out which of you will take the spot."

Melissa scoffed at the queen, disliking her statement. "We would nev-!"

"I'm fully aware of the fact that you heathens won't take the position willing." Viola interrupted the brunette. "Even the others resisted, which is why I had to use _this_." the queen held her hand up and ignited it in psychic energy. The sight of the light blue energy sent shivers down the trio's spines. " _This_ , is all I need to make you loyal." Viola waved her hand around. "With this, I can dive deep into your minds, and make you loyal to me and my orders. It takes very little of my power away, is very easy to use, and is _incredibly_ painful for the target. So, whose it gonna be? The insulting brunette? Or the roserade turned human?"

"Don't you dare touch them...!" Caroline barred her teeth at the queen. "You're without a doubt the most vile person in this region! Willing to alter people's minds is absolutely-!"

Viola vanished and reappeared in front of the ginger within a second. As soon as she did, she smacked Caroline with the back of her hand. A dark scowl covered the queen's face as she glared hatefully at the ginger.

"Speak to me like that again, and I'll bind that filthy mouth of your's **shut!** " Viola erupted. "Do you understand?!"

Caroline remained quiet, her left cheek stinging horribly from the smack. She lowered her head to avoid looking at the queen, to much of Viola's satifaction.

"Get away from her!" Melissa fumed. "Or else I'll-!"

Viola vanished again and reappeared infront of Melissa. This time, she made her eyes glow bright blue and covered Melissa's head in psychic energy. Immediately afterwards, the brunette's head was forced back agaisnt the wall, making her gasp in pain.

"Or you'll what?" Viola taunted the brunette. "Throw more empty threats at me? I've defeated you _twice_ , and both times I've been alone while you had back up! You are _**nothing**_ compared to me. You hear me? Noth-!"

" **STOP IT!** " Sophia's sudden scream interrupted Viola and echoed in the room, making the queen send a glare her way. The ex-roserade choked and panted quietly after her scream. "Please, stop... Leave them alone, please..."

The queen's eyes stopped glowing, releasing Melissa's head of it's psychic prison. She kept her glare on Sophia as she approached. "So our little rose finally speaks," Viola said as she traced her finger around Sophia's jaw. "And do tell, why should I listen to you?"

The ex-roserade kept her head lowered. "Why are you doing this...?" Sophia asked. "What do you have to gain from this?"

Viola hummed a chuckled at Sophia. "Trust me, if I really had it my way, I would've killed all of you by now." her smile transformed into a frown. "But if I did, I would lose Aaron. Just mentioning that you fools deserve death set him off, that's how deep your corruption runs within him. But that won't be a problem soon, since I'm cleansing the hatred he has for me. And once the hate is gone, I'll replace it with love."

"Wait, your... making him love you...?" Sophia raised her head and questioned slowly. "You... you can't do that!"

"And why can't I? Hmm?" Viola asked, her voice getting darker. "Why am I not allowed to be with my true love?"

"Because he's not your true love!" Sophia yelled, getting agitated the queen's words. "If he was, you wouldn't need to make him love you!"

"I'm doing this becuase that fool turned him agaisnt me!" Viola argued back and pointed a finger at Caroline, shoving the blame of Aaron hating her on the ginger. "It's her fault that he hates me!"

"He would hate you even if Carol never recruited him!" Sophia kept yelling, denying the queen's arguments. "And even if Aaron didn't hate you, he definitely wouldn't love you either! Nor would he be your true love!"

"And why is that?!" Viola asked with a loud voice, angered by Sophia's defiance. "What do you know about him that I don't?!"

"Because he's _my_ true love! _**I love him!**_ " Sophia answered her loudly.

Silence once again filled the room as Sophia's yell echoed within it. Viola's eyes widened and her face darkened at the shout. After a few seconds, Sophia's own eyes widened once she realized her mistake. Her fear from before returned as the queen glared at her.

"You, love him..." Viola's glare eased up once she started laughing quietly. "You know, had we been under normal circumstances, I would kill you, **right now**." she took a step back and sighed sharply. A smile crept up on her lips as she kept her glare on Sophia. "But since I need you alive, I'll-" she paused for a few seconds. "... No, I'll keep it a surprise. Just know that I won't need you as my knight anymore."

"Why... did you... want me to... become a knight in the first place?" Sophia squeaked, still under the influence of heavy fear.

"Because, as much as I don't want to admit it, you're very... powerful. Since you still have your pokemon powers, you would've been a great asset to have in my arsenal," Viola answered. "But now, since I know you love Aaron, and your friend over there is responsible for killing one of my knights, she will take the position instead." The queen moved towards Melissa again, and ignited one of her hands in psychic energy once more. The sight of it made the brunette's eyes widen in horror, which made the queen's smile increase. "Let's begin, shall we?"

The queen quickly placed her hand on Melissa's head before the brunette could retaliate. Once the energy touched her, it quickly went into her mind, and made Melissa scream in pain. Sophia and Caroline started to plead for Viola to stop, but she didn't listen to them. She continued with the infusion until she was suddenly blocked by something within the brunette's mind.

"Eh?" Viola breathed.

She increased the infusion's power, which made Melissa scream in more pain. However, despite the increased amount of power in the infusion, she still couldn't get through. It was like her very mind was creating a barrier to protect itself.

 _"Impossible!'_ Viola thought. _"There's no way she could do this... unless...'_

Once the queen started to connect the dots, her powers started to fade away, due to the heavy use of it throughout the day. The infusion came to a halt, signifing that Viola's powers were completely drained. The queen withdrew her hand and looked at the brunette with anew interest.

"So that's how you broke the major infusion I made for him..." Viola said quietly.

"Wh... what do you... mean...?" Melissa muttered in pain, not understanding what the queen meant.

Viola smiled at the brunette and started walking towards the door. "You'll take more time and effort than the others, but it'll be worth it in the end. You'll make a great knight once this is done." The queen opened the door and left the room, leaving the trio to hang there.

"Melissa! Are you okay?!" Sophia asked as soon as the queen closed the door.

The brunette nodded slowly, still in pain. "I've got a splitting headache, b-but... I'll live... ugh..."

"Sophia..." Caroline whispered. "Do you... really love Aaron?"

The ex-roserade was silent, but nodded her head in confirmation. A weak chuckle came from Melissa when she saw the nod.

"Heh heh, I... had a feeling there something happening between you two... heh heh... uughh..." the brunette let out a sigh as she fell unconcious. Her breathing was soft, but it was enough to put Sophia at ease.

"I'm sorry..." a sudden whimper from Caroline came out. "I failed as your leader... I failed all of you... Now we're captured, awaiting horrors I don't even want to think about... I'm so sorry for all of this Sophia..."

Sophia smiled softly at the sadden ginger, not listening to her negativity about herself. "This isn't your fault Carol, I'm the one who failed to take Viola down. Besides, we all knew that this was a possibility, but we still came to help you save Aaron. So don't fret, please."

Caroline looked up Sophia's smile, and smiled lightly herself for a few seconds before frowning again. "Still, I failed as a leader, that alone is my fault," Caroline said.

The two remained quiet within the room, neither having much to say. A hour passed as their silence remained. Both were getting drowsy, and Caroline soon fell asleep in her uncomfortable position. The drowsy Sophia thought about Aaron, and what he had to go through. What horrors awaited him and everyone else. The sadness that came with those thoughts stayed with the ex-roserade when she fell into her own uncomfortable slumber.

* * *

 **Wednesday**

Viola played a small smile as she watched her servants work on the preparations for her wedding, feeling at ease after such a long and boring day. She sighed to herself as the events from earlier replayed themselves in her mind.

First, she had order several of her chefs to make food for the prisoners during the morning and afternoon. Then she told them to tell the prisoners if any of them refused to eat, she would go and force feed them herself. To her satisfaction, all of them listened and ate their food.

Second, she had to go to the other aurora soldiers she took prisoner and had to make all of them loyal with psychic infusions. It annoyed her to say the least, since a lot of the soldiers begged her not to, while others threatened her to stay away. Some even came to tears, but all of them were converted to her army.

Third, she had to send several waves of her forces into the city to fight the rebellion located there. Viola didn't want them to think that they were in the clear, nor did she want them to rest up. She wants the aurora members tired and hopeless, which would make them easy to defeat. She didn't want them all dead though, just weakened. The aurora soldiers had to be alive if she wanted them to see what she has in store for them.

Now, it was well into the afternoon, almost nighttime in fact. Viola hummed as she thought about her last two objectives for the day, using the psychic infusion on Melissa, then using another psychic infusion on Aaron. Viola sighed as she enjoyed the few seconds of her break before continuing with her day. The queen made her way through the halls of her castle, passing by several squads of her soldiers, all of which bowed when they saw her. It only took a minute until she came across the door she was looking for. She waved her psychic energy over said door and unlocked it. Once it was, she pushed it and walked into the room.

"Hellooo heathens~!" Viola exclaimed as she closed the door behind her.

Sophia, Melissa and Caroline were still hung up in the chains on the other side of the room. The ex-roserade and the ginger frowned as they glanced their eyes to the floor, not wanting to look at Viola, while the brunette glared at the queen.

"Skank," Melissa seethed.

Viola brushed it off with another smile. "Well, at least _one_ of you is brave enough to look and talk to me," she said while looking at Sophia and Caroline. "What's the matter? Did a meowth snatch your tongues while I was away?" neither women looked up at the queen, deciding that it was better to ignore her than address her. Melissa too went silent, but still glared at the queen. "Eh, whatever," Viola said, quickly getting bored of the silence. "I'm not here for chit-chat anyways. I'm here to convert _you_." Viola glanced towards Melissa. "So without further ado, let's get this over with."

The queen got in front of the brunette and placed her psychic covered hand on Melissa's head. The brunette gasped and screamed as the pools of energy invaded her mind once more. But like before, her mind created a barrier to halt the infusion. Furrowing her brows, Viola concentrated a lot of energy into the infusion and pushed against the barrier. Slowly, it started to crack, then burst into pieces, allowing the wave of energy to invade Melissa's mind. However, halfway into the infusion, Viola pulled back her hand and frowned, feeling a lot of her power drain out. Melissa, feeling the infusion come to a sudden halt, gasped and panted painfully. Her left eye changed to a dark purple as she breathed.

"Your mind is stronger than I thought," Viola said in a annoyed tone. "Almost made me use all of my power in that infusion. Very well, I'll just have to fully convert you tomorrow. Enjoy the last few hours of your filthy thoughts." The queen turned around and left through the door, locking it behind her once more. Once she was gone, Sophia and Caroline quickly checked on the brunette.

"Melissa...?" Sophia whispered. "Are you...?"

Melissa coughed before she addressed the ex-roserade. "I-I'm... still... here..." She raised her head, revealing her different colored orbs. "I'm... still... me..."

Caroline's eyes widened as she suppressed a gasp. "Your eye, one of your eyes are... purple," She whispered.

"... _Purple_...? Geh..." Melissa groaned as her head throbbed. "... M-my mind... feels... so wrong... so... conflicted..."

"W-what do you mean?" Sophia asked.

"P-p-part of me... wants to... h-h- **hate**... _**her**_..." Melissa grimaced. "... B-but... the other part... wants to... l-l-listen... listen to her... _every..._ _ **c-c-command**_."Sophia and Caroline felt horrible for their friend as she relayed the information to them. Neither of them knew what to do or what to say. Their situation was terrible. "S-Sophia... Caroline..." Melissa gasped out. "...I-I just want... you two to... know... if... if I... e-end up... b-b-becoming her puppet, that I... geh...! T-that you guys... were great... friends... to... m-me, I l-l-love... you... guys... ugh..." As the brunette blacked out from the pain, Sophia and Caroline silently ached in sadness. The fear they had for their friends and for Viola increased as minutes went by. They felt hopeless

* * *

Viola smiled as she unlocked the door to Aaron's room with her powers. She gently pushed it open and walked inside the poorly lightened room, closing the door behind her afterwards. Her eyes landed on her beloved, who had his head down whilst bounded to the large chair. His hands lightly shook with fear as he heard her come into the room, along with frowning and whimpering for a second.

The queen licked her lips in anticipation. "Sorry that I took so long to get here Aaron," Viola apologized as she walked towards him. "I had to do a _lot_ of things today." Aaron remained silent as she sat down on his lap. The queen's hand cupped his cheek as she made her finger glow for the infusion. "Won't you look up sweetheart?" Viola cooed. "I'd like to see your eyes~."

Aaron still didn't speak, but after a few seconds, he raised his head. His eyes however were looking away to the side, trying to avoid making eye contact with her.

"That's better~!" Viola quickly pressed her finger agaisnt his head. He shut his eyes and gasped sharply as her powers made their way through his mind. Once it stopped, the queen pulled her hand back, along with the energy on her finger disappearing, showing her powers were drained. Aaron groaned as he felt some of his fear vanish just like hate. While he still feared her, he didn't love her, which he felt relieved by. His eyes opened slowly, showing off his now pink irises. Viola frowned sadly once she saw them. "Oh... I forgot about that side effect."

"... W-what...?" Aaron whispered.

"Your eyes," Viola continued. "They're pink now. How unfortunate, I'm gonna miss those chocolate brown eyes of your's."

"... Pink...?" Aaron whispered confusingly.

"Oh well... guess that's a price I'll have to pay." Viola sighed as she put her forehead against his. After a few seconds of silence, the queen smiled warmly. "Y'know Aaron, it's been a rather long day..."

"... Eh?" Aaron breathed softly.

Viola's grin increased as she went on. "And after such a long day, I feel rather, stressed. What do you say you and I have some... _fun?_ " She inched her lips closer to his. "To alleviate that stress?"

The bounded teen's eyes widened as he suppressed a gasp. "... I-I... I..." Aaron tried to speak, but he couldn't form the words. His mind couldn't come up with any words of denial for the queen.

 **WARNING: SEXUAL ACTIVITY HAS BEGUN.**

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Viola flashed a toothy smile before she pressed her lips against his. Aaron couldn't find the will to truly resist her, but he didn't kiss her back. A couple seconds into the kiss, the queen pressed her tongue into his mouth and moaned softly. Aaron's tongue was quickly dominated by her's, and was forced to move his along with it. After a full minute, Viola pulled away from the lip lock to draw a breath and rose up from Aaron's lap. Her hands went down towards his jeans and slowly unfastened and unzipped them. His boxers were revealed, along with the hard bulge underneath them.

"S-stop..." Aaron mumbled.

"Let's take this a step further..." Viola whispered as she lightly gripped the hem of his undergarments. She slowly pulled the boxers down, unleashing his hard member inch by inch. Once she pulled them down far enough, she pulled her hands away and looked at his member in awe. "It's... bigger than I thought it would be..." she whispered.

"Please... stop..." Aaron pleaded quietly.

The queen got on her knees as she continued to stare in awe at his erection. She reached out and placed a finger on the head of it, earning a small groan from him. Viola glanced at his faced for a quick second before returning her gaze to his groin. She rubbed the finger agaisnt the head, making him exhale lightly. Viola hummed a chuckle at his light noises as she continued toying with him. She applied more of her fingers and wrapped them around his member. Once he exhaled again, she stroked her fingers down against his member and pulled them back up. She did it again, and got into a slow rhythm of making her hand pump up and down his shaft.

"How does this feel my love~?" Viola asked in a low voice while she worked on his member, looking up at his face. "It feels good, doesn't it~?"

Aaron kept his eyes shut tight as her fingers stroked back and forth on his erection. He moaned involuntarily as her digits tightened around him and moved faster. He felt sickened by the pleasure he was feeling, and started to hate his body for wanting more.

Viola hummed another chuckle when she heard him moan lightly. She slowed down her stroking and hummed curiously. She inched her lips closer to his shaft, and lightly ran her tongue against the head of his member. Aaron moaned again, this time much louder and sharper.

The queen looked up with her eyes half open and smirked at him. "If you like that, then you'll _love_ this~," Viola purred seductively.

Aaron opened up one of his eyes and gasped out when Viola placed her lips on the head of his shaft. She went deeper, completely taking the head of his member into her mouth. Once it was inside, she started rolling her tongue around and under it, making the bounded teen groan in pleasure again. Aaron tried to object to it, but his words only came out as moans and pants. His mind wanted her stop completely, but his body wanted more, wanting Viola to go further.

 _"N-no!'_ Aaron's mind called out. _"I don't want this...! I don't... I... I-I... don't... ghh...'_

The queen went further, taking more of his shaft into her warm mouth. Her tongue ran along the bottom of it and moved constantly, adding more pleasure for Aaron to feel. Viola only took in half of the hard member before she pulled back, leaving behind a light coat of saliva around his erection. She stopped when just the head was left, then went forward again, taking the length back in her mouth.

Viola moaned when she reached the half point again, the vibration from the hum sent jolts of pleasure all over Aaron's shaft, making the teen moan as well. Enjoying his reaction, Viola hummed again as she went deeper, taking more of him into her mouth. Once the head of his shaft reached the back of her mouth, she pulled back, leaving only the head in her mouth again.

The queen began a slow rhythm of bobbing her head back and forth, coating a lot of his member with her saliva. Aaron panted and moaned lightly as his erection went in and out of her warm, wet mouth. Her moist tongue kept running along the bottom of it, constantly licking it and adding more to the pleasure Aaron felt. Viola increased the speed of her head bobbing. However, she only took in half of him before pulling back. To counter this, Viola used the hand that was still wrapped around the erection and stroked it along with her head, covering the other half and reaching the base of the member.

Minutes went by as Viola pleasured Aaron orally. During the time, Aaron moaned and panted louder as her mouth ran along his erection. After a few minutes, the retrained teen clenched his hands into fists and groaned loudly, feeling his climax building up. Noticing this, Viola sped up her head bobbing, wanting him to reach it quicker. Once his moans got louder and louder, Viola took him as deep as she could into her mouth. Aaron exhaled sharply as he came, shooting out his seed into her mouth. The queen got a slight taste of his essence before she swallowed it as it came. Aaron moaned as the waves of constant pleasure washed over his body. After a few seconds, his climax ceased. Aaron panted out as Viola lightly ran her tongue along the bottom of his erection, milking out the last of his seed and swallowing it. Once she got it all, she pulled her head back and removed her mouth from his shaft, sighing lovingly afterwards.

"How was that Aaron~?" Viola asked in a sultry voice.

The bounded teen kept his eyes away as he breathed heavily. He truly felt disgusted with himself, not wanting the after shock of pleasure he was going through. He felt like he was betraying the one he _truly_ loved like this.

"Just like before sweetheart," Viola smiled at him while she pulled up his boxers over his member and zipped up his jeans. "This is just a _taste_ of what's to come. And believe me when I say that you and I are going to enjoy every second when it happens~."

 **NOTICE: SEXUAL ACTIVITY HAS CEASED.**

Viola got up and sat down on Aaron's lap once more, draping her legs towards Aaron's left side. She placed her head under his chin and sighed again.

"It's rather late you know," Viola said. "And after finishing like that, you should be tired. Get some sleep my love."

The bounded teen groaned as he felt exhaustion consume his senses. As if by her word, he felt drowsy. Aaron's eyes slowly shut as his exhaustion completely took over, making him fall asleep quickly.

Viola smiled at the results. _"It seems his mind is listening to my commands now. Just one more infusion and he'll be ready for the major love infusion.'_

The queen yawned as she felt her own exhaustion take toll. "I should get to my... actually..." Viola looked at the now sleeping Aaron and smiled lightly as the new thought ran through her mind. "I'll stay with you tonight." Pressing her head lightly against Aaron's neck and placing her hands onto her lap, Viola yawned once more as she fell into her coming slumber, smiling while she did. "Goodnight... Aaron..." she whispered before falling asleep.

* * *

 **Thursday  
**

A small groan came from the queen as she got up from her slumber. Viola rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she raised her upper body slightly. Her arms stretched out and she yawned out. "That was better than I expected." she peered over to the still asleep Aaron, who had his head lowered. Viola smiled warmly at him. "So peaceful, it's unfortunate that I have to leave right now."

Viola sighed as the day's activities ran through her head. So many things that she had to take of, when she really wanted to spend time with her beloved. She shook her head and sighed again.

"I'll just have to get those over with, but first..." Viola said before she placed a infusion covered finger against his head. He groaned in sleep as the infusion worked on his mind. Once it was complete, she pecked her lips on his cheek and quietly made her way to the door. "See you at our wedding tomorrow~," Viola whispered to him before walking out the room and closing the door behind her.

* * *

Sophia had no idea what time it was. She had no idea if the sun was up or if it was dark outside. All the ex-roserade knew was that her arms ached, and that it's been hours since several bellator soldiers came by to feed her, Caroline, and a horribly conflicted Melissa. The white hair girl looked at her brunette friend, seeing her breath heavily. Sophia could hear Melissa mutter unintelligible words to herself and listened to her sudden sharp exhales. The ex-roserade had nothing but sympathy for the brunette. Sophia glanced towards Caroline, who had her head down. The ginger's long orange hair covered most of her face, not allowing Sophia to see how she was holding up. The only thing she could make out was her mouth, which had a quivering frown on it.

Seeing her friends going through such grim states depressed Sophia. She could only imagine what horrors the rest of the company went through, including Aaron. Her heart ached as she thought about him, wishing to see him again. She asked herself if he would be the same, since Viola is messing with his very mind, altering it for her own benefit.

More time passed as the trio hung there in silence, none of them knowing how much really went by. Suddenly, the silence was broken when the door was unlocked. Melissa's mumbling halted when she heard it, and lowered her head in fear. The queen entered the room with two female bellator soldiers flanking her. Their footsteps echoed throughout the room as they approached the trio. Viola sent a short but vicious glare at Sophia and Caroline before stopping in front of Melissa. The brunette looked up and shook in fear when she saw Viola's hand was covered in energy.

"Any last words as a barbarian?" Viola asked.

The brunette's divided mind pulsed in horror and excitement. She shook her head side to side and sighed in defeat. She sent one last glare as she rasped out, "I-I... hope you, b-b-burn... in... hell..."

"Hmph, how pitiful." Viola shrugged off as she placed her hand on Melissa's head. The brunette screamed as the infusion entered her mind once again. Pure agony consumed her as her mind was warped. Melissa's right eye changed into the same color of the left eye, a dark purple. Her screams became pants and gasps, and soon, her vision went dark as she blacked out with a final sigh.

Sophia and Caroline watched in horror as Melissa's body went limp. Tears streamed down their faces, frightened by watching their friend get tortured. Caroline lowered her head again and shut her eyes tightly, wishing for this nightmare to be over. Meanwhile Sophia continued to watch as Viola unlocked Melissa's cuffs with her psychic powers. The brunette's body fell to the floor and laid there.

The queen motioned her soldiers over. "Take her to her new room and dawn her in the armor located there." Viola ordered, receiving a nod from both soldiers. They grabbed Melissa by her arms and lifted her up. They moved her through and out the room, her boots dragging along the floor as they left, closing the door behind them.

"Melissa..." Sophia wept.

Viola glanced at the sobbing ex-roserade and smirked. "Let me tell you right now, little roserade," she said. "The sadness you feel right now will be insignificant compared to the despair you'll feel when Aaron and I are married tomorrow."

Sophia's sobbing came to a halt as those words rang through her mind. She slowly bang her head up to look at Viola, looking to see if she was serious. The queen's purple orbs glared viciously into the ex-roserade's crimson eyes. "Wh... what...?" Sophia mumbled.

"Oh right, I never told you fools," Viola said. "Aaron and I are getting married tomorrow, and you two are invited. Well, it's not like you have a choice in matter, you'll be going whether you'd like to or not."

Sophia stared at her in disbelief. Those words kept repeating themselves over and over in head like a broken record player. Once Viola turned and headed for the door, Sophia felt a wave of horror overcome her. But that wasn't the only thing she felt, she felt another emotion she didn't feel often.

Anger.

She felt so angered by Viola's words. That woman is going to marry Aaron, and is forcing her to watch. Before Viola exited the room, Sophia lowered her head and whispered hatefully.

"You _... bitch..._ "

The queen ceased all movement once that whisper broke the silence. Her eyes, including Caroline's, widened for a second, surprised that Sophia actually called her a bitch. While she wasn't to call Viola that, it still sent waves anger through the queen. She turned her head and stared at Sophia with one eye.

"What was that?" Viola growled.

The ex-roserade shook and bared her teeth in rage. She quickly brought her head up to scream at the queen. "You BITCH! How dare you do this?! Not only do you torture and change the very minds of my friends, but now you're forcing the man of my dreams to love and marry you! He doesn't love you Viola! He would never love OR marry you! He would never lower himself to your standards! You're a bitch! You're nothing more than a-!"

The cuffs around Sophia's arms and feet were suddenly unlocked. Before she could drop, the ex-roserade's body got covered in psychic energy, sending waves of agony through her body. But before she could yell in pain, Sophia was thrown through the air and towards the queen. Viola quickly swung her body around and rammed her fist onto Sophia's stomach. The white hair girl gasped and heaved in pain. Her psychic prison vanished as she fell to the floor and on her knees, clutching her stomach and breathing hard.

Viola walked around Sophia and glared at her in absolute rage. "Know your place you **fucking SCUM!** " She yelled as lifted her right leg and smashed it into Sophia's side, making her cry out in more pain as she tumbled onto her back.

"No! Please, stop it! Don't hurt her!" Caroline cried out Viola as she advanced onto the fallen Sophia. The queen didn't listen however, and grabbed Sophia by the collar of her roserade dress and brought her close to her face.

"Did you really think that it was wise to say that?!" Viola barked at the ex-roserade. She brought up the rest of her body and rammed her knee into Sophia stomach, making her heave again. "Know your **fucking place!** "

Viola kicked her again, forcing her back onto the floor. She brought up her hand and shot off several aura spheres at Sophia, each one crashing onto her body. The white hair girl cried out in agony as the force behind the spheres made her roll on the floor. The deadly spheres kept coming until she reached a wall. The onslaught ceased, and Sophia took this time to cough and pant horribly.

Viola still had a aura sphere in her hand, which was aimed at the fallen Sophia. Just when she about to shot off another one, a thought ran through her head. _"No, I won't kill her over something so minor. I want her to suffer, not die.'_

She dispersed the aura sphere and sighed. The rage on her face was replaced with a blank look. She stared at the injured ex-roserade and sighed again. Her eyes glowed and covered Sophia in psychic energy again. However, just like before, the white hair girl screamed as more pain washed over her body. Viola's eyes widened slightly in confusion as she made the energy around Sophia disappear, who gasped as soon as it did.

"Hmm?" Viola hummed as she covered Sophia in psychic energy again, to which she started yelling in pain again. Viola stopped and raised a eyebrow at the ex-roserade.

 _"Using psychic on her causes damage?'_ Viola thought. _"Why? It doesn't hurt anyone else, so why... oh, right...'_

A devilish grin crept up the queen's lips as this revelation came to mind. "Well now, _this_ is interesting," she laughed at Sophia. "It appears you've kept your weakness to psychic attacks when you became a human, and probably your other weaknesses as well. My oh my, this is going to be an absolute hell for you."

The white hair girl didn't respond, for she still panted in pain on the floor. Viola approached her and grabbed Sophia by the back of her neck. Sophia winched in pain, but couldn't resist as Viola dragged her back to her cuffs. The queen released Sophia from her grip and proceeded to cover her in psychic energy again. The ex-roserade groaned as her body stung from the pain. Viola quickly raised the white hair girl's body and locked her back into the cuffs, and once they were secure, she made the energy disperse, freeing Sophia from the psychic prison and pain.

Once Sophia was hanging from the cuffs, Viola grabbed her neck and forced her back into the wall, forcing the ex-roserade to look her in the eyes. "Understand this, Sophia," she growled sharply. "If you _ever_ speak to me like that again, I'll put you through an experience that'll make pain from before look tame in comparison! Do you understand?!" When Sophia remained silent and gave her a fearful look, Viola barked even louder. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"... Y-y-yes... Viola..." Sophia mumbled, her voice strained from both the pain and grip of the queen's hand.

"Say. The. Words." Viola growled.

"I-I... u-u-understand... Viola..." Sophia whimpered.

The queen kept her glare on the ex-roserade for another couple seconds before she released her. Sophia coughed several times, still hurt from the assault from earlier. Viola let out a long sigh as she backed away from the ex-roserade, erasing the rage and regaining her stoic face once more.

"Consider this a warning," Viola said as she turned for the door. "I won't be so merciful the next time you piss me off."

Once the queen left and locked the door, Sophia crumbled into sobs. "Why am I so pathetic...?" she cried, loathing herself for having her anger get crushed so easily. "Why am I so weak...?! I can't even protect those I love! What good am I?!"

Caroline listened to her cries, and wanted to comfort her. But she didn't know what to say, afraid that what she might say would just make things worse. Besides, what the ex-roserade said really applied to her as well. The ginger thought that about herself too, not being able to protect the people she cared for, it hurt her. So she decided to keep her mouth shut and her head lowered, listening to Sophia's soft cries for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **Friday**

Sophia couldn't remember when she was released from her cell, or when she was moved to a different place, or what the time of day was. Both of her hands and feet were cuffed to a chair, and a piece of duct tape was placed over her mouth, making her incapable of speech. A small muffed voice came from her right, causing the ex-roserade to look over. Caroline sat next to her, imprisoned in the same way, duct tape and all. Her eyes were half open and she breathed heavily. Her sights were locked on something ahead, making Sophia glance ahead to see what she was staring at.

She saw a large white altar with flowers placed all over it, along with four soldiers standing guard near it, two on each side. Standing underneath it were two men, one was a priest standing in the middle of the altar, while the other had their back turned to her. He was suited in a tuxedo along with cuffs on his wrists and ankles, and stood towards the right under the alter. He had short curly hair that almost reached his shoulders, curly hair Sophia recognized.

 _"Aaron...?'_ Sophia thought. _"But if he's here, then...'_

It hit her like a truck when she remembered what was happening. She quickly looked all over the room to confirm her thoughts. All around her were bellator soldiers standing proudly in two large formations. Between the two formations was a red isle littered with small white flowers, along with small white pedals falling all through the air. Not far and near a wall was a large organ that a woman sitting down on the seat for it.

 _"The wedding! It's happening!'_ the ex-roserade yelled in her mind.

Not a moment later, the woman sitting next to the organ cracked her fingers then pressed them against the keys of the organ. The instrument came to life as the woman started to press more and more keys, playing the theme _Here comes the Bride_. All of the soldiers from the formations turned towards the isle sharply and simultaneously, placing their right hands over their chests afterwards.

Walking slowly down the isle was the queen herself, wearing a bright white wedding dress along with a veil that was placed over her dark purple hair. She had a bouquet of white flowers which she held with both of her hands. As she made her way through the isle, the rows of soldiers in both formations turned towards the altar when she passed them. When she reached the altar, Viola took the left spot underneath it, and the theme of _Hear comes the Bride_ came to an end.

"Your majesty." The priest bowed slightly to Viola, to which she nodded and glanced at Aaron. He was frowning, along with with having a worried expression on his face. His pink eyes were mostly covered in fear, but Viola could see the traces of excitement within them, causing the queen to smile brightly. The priest clear his throat before he proceeded to say the wedding ceremony speech. "We are gathered here today to celebrate a joyful occasion. Today, we watch as Viola and Aaron unite their love in marriage."

Sophia and Caroline watched in horror as the ceremony commenced. Both of them tried to cry out their own denials of the marriage, but their pleas were silenced by the thick duct tape over their mouths. All they could do was watch.

"Do you, Viola, take Aaron to be your husband? In sickness and in health? Along with loving him for the rest of your life? " The priest continued.

Viola nodded lightly. "I do."

The priest turned to Aaron. "Do you, Aaron, take Viola to be your wife? In sickness and in health? Along with loving her for the rest of your life?"

The retrained teen shook and muttered in his spot, wanting to say no. However, the words of denial never left his mouth, making him stutter. "I... I-I... geh... I..." he groaned.

Viola leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Say the words my love~."

Her voice echoed through his head, washing away all of the denial he had for a couple seconds. His mind felt blank as he uttered the words he thought he would never say for Viola.

"I... I do..." he whispered, and not a moment later did his eyes widened in absolute shock.

Sophia's eyes widened also when she heard the whisper. She felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces when he spoke those words. Her red orbs got watery as she tried to yell out her pleas against the wedding, only for them to come out as soft cries.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," The priest said. "You may now kiss."

"W-wait, no I-" Aaron tried to object, but was quickly silenced when Viola forced him to turn towards her and pressed her lips against his. The queen wrapped her arms around the back of his neck to deepen the kiss, along with muffling out his objections.

After a couple of seconds, Viola broke the lip lock and smiled brightly. Her dream has become a reality, but she knew it wasn't complete. She knew what would transpire tonight, what she would have to do, and she couldn't wait for it.

Viola turned to the audience and raised her hands. "Bow before your new king!" she shouted proudly. "Bow before Aaron Bellator!"

All of the soldiers in the room lowered themselves onto one knee and bowed their upper bodies, along with placing their right hands over their chests again. Aaron watched in horror as they bowed for _him_. He looked over to Sophia and Carol, whose eyes widened when they saw his eyes were pink. His heart churned when he saw the tears flowing down Sophia's face, and could only give her a apologetic look.

"You two," Viola spoke to the two soldiers standing near the altar. "Take Caroline back to her cell. As for the white hair girl, take her to my room, place her onto the chair located there, then leave afterwards."

Both of the soldiers bowed quickly and made their way to the two prisoners. Grabbing their wrists tightly, the soldiers unlocked the cuffs and quickly brought their hands together to lock them into another pair of binders. Viola used her powers to unlock the cuffs on their ankles, and the soldiers quickly pulled them up and led them out of the room. Aaron watched sadly as his friends left his line of sight.

"As for you two," Viola said to the last two guards. "Take the king to my bathroom and completely change him out of his clothes and into the robes I left there. Once you do, take him to my room and place him on my bed, then leave the room."

The two soldiers nodded and approached Aaron. Viola unlocked the cuffs on his ankles, making them drop to the floor with a small clank. Before the guards got close to Aaron, the queen spoke quietly into his ear again.

"Don't resist them, let them do as I command," Viola whispered, making Aaron groan. The two soldiers placed their hands on his arms and gently ushered him forward. He walked slowly down the isle as the two guards led him out of the room. Once they were gone, Viola spoke to the rest of the soldiers in the room. "The rest of you are dismissed."

The soldiers nodded and went about their own way. Some got into groups and conversed with one another while others left the room, either by themselves or in groups. With her soldiers doing their own things, the queen sighed. Viola looked at the bouquet in her hands and tossed it behind her before she left the room.

* * *

Sophia once again found herself cuffed in a chair and in a foreign setting. She looked around and saw that she was in a large royal bedroom. The walls were a maroon red, and had beautiful lamps attached to them, said lamps were on but dimmed, giving the room some light.

In front of her was a large canopy bed equipped with red blankets, white pillows, and see through maroon curtains on the canopy. Aaron was laying down in the middle the large bed, wearing nothing but a blue bathrobe. His pink eyes were half open and he held his head in confusion and pain, lightly groaning as well.

Sophia tried to call out to him, but she was unable due to the tape still covering her mouth tightly. To make things worse for the ex-roserade, Aaron couldn't hear her soft cries, nor did he seem to know that she was there.

After a minute, the bedroom door opened, and Viola entered the room, wearing only a violet bathrobe. She quickly locked the door and made her way to the bed. While she did, she looked at Sophia, who was looking at her in fear, and sent the ex-roserade a devilish smile. When she reached the bed, she lightly moved the red curtains and climbed onto it. After a couple seconds of crawling slowly, she reached Aaron and straddled herself on top of him.

The conflicted teen still held his head as he looked up at the queen. "... Vi... Viol-"

Viola placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "Shh... Hush my love..." she moved his hand away and brought their lips together for a couple seconds. "I've waited so long for this moment~..."

She raised herself and grabbed the tie of her bathrobe. Quickly undoing it, she opened the robe and let it fall off, revealing her nude body. Before Aaron could respond, she quickly grabbed the tie to his robe and untied it. Once it was, she opened the bathrobe, showing off his own naked body. Viola relished the sight underneath her and licked her lips in anticipation.

"I-I... w-w-wait... I..." Aaron mumbled, but was once again hushed by the queen.

"It's okay... I promise you'll enjoy this~..." Viola cooed in a sultry voice. "Just sit back and let me do everything Aaron~..."

* * *

Sophia was absolutely horrified by the sight in front of her. She watched in horror as Viola had her way with Aaron. Even when she turned away or shut her eyes tight, she could still hear everything. From their heavy breathing and moaning, to the noises their bodies made when they touched, and the bed creaking underneath them. She could even hear Aaron's soft pleas for Viola to stop, but she never did. When they climaxed, she heard them scream out in ecstasy and pant afterwards.

When most of the noises stopped, Sophia cracked open one of her eyes and saw Viola still on top of Aaron, her head pressed against his as both of them panted tiredly. A light blanket covered their bodies as they breathed heavily. After a full minute, Viola raised her head and placed a hand on Aaron's forehead.

"Listen to me... Aaron," Viola said in a exhausted voice. The hand started to glow brightly in psychic energy, brighter than the last couple times she used it. "When you wake up tomorrow, you will love me as much as I love you. You will take the position of king gladly, and will rule by my side. You are my king, and I am your queen. I am your's,"

The energy glowed even brighter. Aaron groaned again as his mind was warped by the queen. Slowly, his pink eyes glowed as well, and he felt heavy fatigue take over his body as Viola finished the major infusion.

"And you. Are. Mine." she finished.

Once the infusion was complete, it flashed in a second before it dispersed completely. Aaron gasped, then groaned before he fell into a deep sleep. Viola pressed her lips against his for a few seconds, then laid her head under his chin. She sighed lovingly before she fell into her own slumber, smiling as she did.

Sophia, still horrified by what she just saw, cried in terrible sadness. Her wails were muffled by the thick duct tape as she kept crying for what seemed like hours, until she finally fell into and depressed and uncomfortable sleep.

* * *

Feeling her lower body being dragged against the floor, Sophia woke up from her depressing sleep and cracked open her eyes. Viola held her by the back of her neck and dragged her through the hallways of the castle. Her hands were still cuffed, along with her ankles, but she didn't feel the duct tape on her mouth anymore, allowing her to move her lips freely.

"Wh... what...?" Sophia mumbled. "What's happening...?"

Viola glanced down at the ex-roserade and smiled viciously. "You two will see soon enough."

Wondering what she meant by two, Sophia looked back. Behind them was Caroline, who was floating in the and was covered in psychic energy. The ginger's eyes were looking towards the floor and a frown was plastered on her face. Her hands and ankles were cuffed just like Sophia's.

After a couple of minutes, Viola smiled when she reached their destination. She released Sophia from her grip and let Caroline drop to the floor. Both women groaned painfully before they looked up in confusion. They saw a balcony and the morning sky, along with someone standing there watching it. The only characteristics of the person Sophia and Caroline could only make out was curly hair that almost touched their shoulders and a violet cape that swayed lightly in the breeze.

"Oh Aaron~!" Viola cooed. "Someone wants to see you~!"

The duo was shocked when they heard that name, and even more so when the figure turned around. It was indeed Aaron, wearing the heavy black night armor he had on before, this time though, he was lacking his beanie and jacket. His pink eyes widened a bit in surprise before he smiled gleefully at the two.

"Hey Sophia! Hey Carol! Been a while since we've last talked!" he exclaimed brightly. "It's good to see you two again!"

Both Sophia and Caroline were speechless in Aaron's presence and bright tone, neither of them knowing what to say. It was like he couldn't remember a thing that happened in the past couple days. They continued to stare at the armored teen in bewilderment, making him a little uncomfortable.

"Uh... guys?" he said with a awkward smile. "Are you two gonna to say something?"

"Aaron..." Caroline finally whispered. "Wh... what... what did she do to you...?"

The new king raised a eyebrow at the ginger. "I'm not sure what you mean Carol, I'm perfectly fine."

"No... no no no." Caroline shook her head. "Aaron, she... she changed you, she made you into something you're not suppose to be! You have to fight her control!"

"... What are you talking about Carol?" Aaron asked. "Like I said, I'm perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with me."

"Ignore her darling," Viola said as she approached him, grabbing his hands and intertwined his fingers with her's. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Aaron looked down at their locked hands, then smiled at the queen. "Whatever you say, _my queen~_." he pecked his lips on her cheek, then dived in towards her neck, peppering it with multiple kisses, making Viola giggle. Sophia felt her heart drop and shatter again when she saw this.

"Aaron, s-stop~!" the queen laughed. "Not i-in front of your friends~! Stop it~!"

The king stopped his assault of kisses and chuckled lightly at the blushing queen. "Sorry, heh heh, got a little carried away..." he smiled and laughed. Viola smiled and laughed along with him, which destroyed Sophia's heart even more.

Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed behind Caroline and Sophia. Both of them turned to see who it was, and once again they were shocked. Standing behind them were Leo, Mac, Beth, and Melissa. Each of them had on heavy knight armor, with each one having a different color. Leo's was red, Mac's was green, Beth had an orange set, and Melissa's was a dark blue. All of their eyes were a dark purple.

"You summoned us your Majesty?" Beth bowed slightly.

"Yes," Viola said, letting go of Aaron's hands and facing the new knights. "You four will escort the king as he leads the army into the city. You are to protect him at all costs, is that understood?"

"Yes your majesty," All of the knights said at the same time and bowed.

"You'll be heading out soon, so be prepared," Viola ordered. "And before you go, take Caroline back to her cell." The four nodded. Mac and Leo grabbed Carol's arms and dragged her through the hallway, along with Beth following behind them.

"I'm gonna get more kills than you today big man," Leo taunted the larger man, along with frightening Caroline.

"Leo... how could you say th-?" the ginger tried to say, disbelieving that the brunet would say something like that.

"Keep telling yourself that pipsqueak," Mac scoffed. "Your kill count won't even be a fraction of mine."

"Wrong!" Leo barked. "You'll see, you're gonna be left in the dust before you even know it!"

"Hmph, while you two are going to be too busy arguing, I'll be scoring more points than both of you," Beth laughed. "I'll have more than both of you combined."

The imprisoned ginger couldn't believe what she was hearing. The soldiers that she trained at fought with weren't the same. They were pawns of Viola's now, and there was nothing Caroline could do to change that. She lowered her head and let the sadness of her failure consume her.

"You wish!" Mac and Leo yelled at Beth in unison before they were out of sight of everyone else.

When the four were gone, Melissa turned towards the king and smiled. "Hey Aaron, wanna spar a little before the battle?" she asked.

"Sure, a little practice couldn't hurt," he said with a smile, then turned to the queen and lightly grabbed her hands. "I'll see you when the city is our's my queen~."

Viola cupped his cheek and brought her face closer to his. "I'll be waiting my king," she whispered before pressing her lips against his. They kissed for a few seconds before Aaron parted and walked away with Melissa at his side.

When the two were out of sight, Viola sighed and looked at Sophia. The ex-roserade sat on the ground with her head down. Her hair covered most of her face, blocking anyone's sight from seeing it. However, Viola knew how Sophia felt, she knew that the ex-roserade was broken, which delighted the queen even more.

"Tell me, your struck with grief, aren't you?" Viola taunted and circled around Sophia. Receiving no answer from the ex-roserade, The queen smiled and chuckled. "Your silence says a thousand words Sophia."

She laughed as she continued to circle around the distraught girl. "Listen up little roserade, because I'm about to give you two choices," she said. "Option one: you get to live out the rest of your days rotting in a cell. You'll be cut off from the outside world and everyone else, along with being fed once or twice a day.

"Or, you can go with option two:" she stopped in front of Sophia and leaned down. "You can become my personal servant, a maid if you will. You'll take orders from Aaron and I personally, no one else. You'll be tasked with daily chores, such as bringing us food and clean up. And, if you take option two, you'll get to see all of your friends, even Aaron and Carol if you want. You'll get your own room and will be fed properly, unlike the first option." Viola paused and stared sternly at the ex-roserade. "However, if refuse to do your chores, or try anything that involves the slightest bit of treachery; I will punish you myself, and believe when I say that you don't want that to happen."

The white hair girl was still silent, which made the queen use her last trump card. "And, if you choose option two, you'll make Aaron happy." Sophia flinched a little when she heard that, making Viola's smile return. "The more loved ones that surround Aaron, the more and more his happiness will increase, meaning that you'll add more to it Sophia." Viola leaned in closer to whisper to the saddened girl. "And I know, despite everything that you've seen and heard, that you still love him with all of your heart. I know that you cherish his happiness, so wouldn't you want to add to it?"

The queen rose up as her words soaked in. Sophia trembled at the options, replaying Viola's words over and over again. She didn't want to be Viola's slave, but she didn't want to live in a cell either. Should she be alone? Or should she be with her enslaved friends? Make Aaron happy, or choose to never see him again?

"Well Sophia? What will it be?" Viola asked. "A cell, or absolute servitude?"

Sophia knew which option she had to go with, despite wanting to choose neither of them. Knowing that she had no time left, the ex-roserade sighed lightly and raised her head slightly, letting out a faint whisper as she did.

"... I..."

* * *

Two weeks have passed since the battle of bellator castle. Since then, Viola had complete control over the unova region. When her army invaded castelia city once more, they quickly overwhelmed the defending forces. The aurora soldiers were horribly shocked when they saw Aaron and the new knights lead the attack, and were completely demoralized. The battle didn't even reach an hour when they were completely defeated. The surviving soldiers of the attack were either converted into the army or were executed. It wasn't long until the rest of the region followed suite.

Aaron, under the permanent control of the psychic infusions, was madly in love with the bellator queen, crushing the love he previously had for Sophia. The king and queen were together for most of time, mostly plotting about taking over the rest of the world along with doing other... sensual activities.

Caroline remained a prisoner, since Viola changed her mind about killing her. She was forced to watch the second battle of castelia, seeing the people she trained and fought with butcher their previous allies. Distraught by this tragedy, the ginger fell into a deep depression and felt dead. She barely ate or spoke, and started living her life in misery, which Viola relished in.

Leo, Mac, and Beth were in charge of leading the armies of bellator throughout the world. They traveled from region to region, slowly conquering them and stamping out any resistance they encountered. Leo and Mac, despite being under the control of the infusions, still retrained their rivalry, while Beth would set them straight if they got too distracted.

Melissa assisted the other knights in conquering the other regions, usually leading the way for the others. When she wasn't in a war zone, she was usually stationed at the castle, visiting and comforting Caroline. Melissa would talk and feed her, to which the ginger barely did either. Despite this, Melissa didn't give up on comforting the depressed Caroline, wanting to cheer up her close friend.

As for Sophia...

She, like Caroline, was also depressed.

For she knew that her life would never be the same.

The ex-roserade was within the castle. She was climbing up a ladder in the main hallway, wearing the maid uniform she was given two weeks ago. The queen ordered her to clean off the dust that settled on top of the paintings hanging in the main hallway. In order to reach the top of the paintings, Sophia was given a ladder to climb on. She used it effectively throughout the hallway, cleaning off all the dust on each frame.

When she finally reached the top of the ladder, she swept the top of the frame with her duster, cleaning away all of the particles that settled there. She couldn't, however, get all of the dust, due to the painting having a larger width than the others. She extended her arm to get the rest, but she couldn't reach it. Sophia shifted her body on the ladder and tried again, this time getting some of the settled particles she couldn't reach before.

However, when she tried to reach even further, the ladder began to tilt over, due to her weight being focused on one side. The ex-roserade gasped when the ladder fell over. She yelped and loosened her grip by accident, disconnecting herself from the collapsing object and falling on her own; she braced herself as she plummet to the floor.

But just when she thought she about to make contact, she felt something metallic wrap around her, along with a metal chest press against her body. Sophia felt the armored figure skit on the floor and stop abruptly. The ladder crashed onto the floor and echoed through the hallway several times. Confused, she looked up at the person who caught her.

"Phew," Aaron sighed as they stopped and smiled at the ex-roserade. "That was close. Being clumsy will get you hurt Sophia, try to be a little more careful in the future." Aaron put her on her feet and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Lucky for you, I'll always be there to catch you should you fall."

Those last words shook Sophia, causing her look down and back away from the king. She remembered when he said that before, back when their lives were normal; back when _he_ was normal. The ex-roserade gulped and shook her head lightly before she walked towards the fallen ladder.

"Thank you..." she quipped in sadness as she grabbed and lifted the ladder back up.

Aaron got concerned when he heard the distress in her voice. He took a step forward towards her. "Sophia...? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong... I'm fine..." she whispered, wanting to get as far away from him as possible right now.

"Then why do you sound so sad?" the king asked. "Aren't you happy that you get to live in a castle with everyone else?"

Sophia couldn't make eye contact with him; she was afraid that her own sadness would make him upset. "I do, I... really do..." she said quietly. "And I really am fine... your majesty..."

"... Don't call me that." Aaron frowned.

"What...?" Sophia quipped again.

"'Your majesty', please don't call me that," he told her. "You can call Viola by that name, but not me. Say my actual name instead Sophia... please..."

"... Okay... Aaron..." she whispered, leaning her head down again and feeling her eyes getting watery by the second.

"N-no, wait I-I..." Aaron stammered when he heard the distress in her voice increase, he didn't want to add on to her sadness; he apologized after a sigh. "I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to make you upset Sophia."

"It's fine... I'm fine..." Sophia manuvered herself around the king, trying her best to keep his eyes away from her. "Now, if y-you'll ex... excuse me... I must be going." she sniffed.

Aaron watched as she walked away with her head down, showing him just how upset she truly was. Feeling guilty about this, he went after her and reached an arm out. "Sophia, wait! Please, tell me what's wrong!" The moment the sound of his armored feet echoed through the hallway, the ex-roserade increased her walking speed to avoid him. When he saw this, he quickly vanished and reappeared in front of her, surprising Sophia making her come to a immediate stop.

"I-I... I have to go...!" she whispered weakly as she tried to turn around, but was quickly stopped when Aaron grabbed her arms with his guantlet-clad hands.

"Sophia! Please!" Aaron pleaded to the trembling ex-roserade. "Tell me what's wrong, don't leave me in the dark!"

Sophia winced when his grip got tighter, his metal fingers squeezed her arms painfully. "Y-you're... hurting me..."

The king's eyes widened a bit at the realization of his tight grip. He loosened up his hands, but quickly placed them on her shoulders so she couldn't run. "Sophia, please tell me what's wrong," he pleaded again, this time much more quieter. "I'm your friend, and I want to be there for you when you need me! So please, let me help you, tell me what's wrong."

 _"... Friend...'_ That word ricocheted through her mind, conceiving more and more sadness in it's wake. _"You were... suppose to be... so much more... than a friend...'_

When the ex-roserade kept her head down and was still silent, Aaron sighed in defeat. "... Right, I understand." he let go of her shoulders. "This is a personal matter, and I'm just making things worse invading into that. I shouldn't have tried to pry into that... I'm sorry." Just when he was about to turn and walk away, Sophia reached and grabbed his hand tightly, stopping the king and making him turn back to look at her. "Sophi-?"

"No..." Tears poured down her face as she wrapped her arms around him, bringing him into an tight embrace and surprising Aaron. His armor was hard and cold, but she tried to ignore it as she cried into his chest. " _I'm_ sorry! I'm sorry for all of this!"

"Wha-?!" Aaron gasped, confused as to why she was apologizing. "W-why are you sorry? You haven't done anything wro-"

"I'm sorry!" she cut him off with another meek apology. "All of this is my fault! I-I wasn't strong enough to save you or the others! None of this would've happened if I strong!"

"Sophia, what are you talking-?" Aaron tried, but was cut off by another whimper of her's.

"I've failed to keep my promise Aaron... I've failed you... I've failed Melissa... I've failed everyone!" she continued to cry into his armored chest. "And now... we're trapped. Trapped in this never ending horror... I'm so sorry Aaron!"

Aaron didn't have an inkling as to what Sophia was talking about, nor did he really know what to say to help her. The king placed his hand on Sophia's back and rubbed it gently in a soothing motion, trying to calm her down. She continued to weep and apologize to him, with both of them standing in the hallway for an uncounted amount of time.

Truly, dispite most of them not even knowing it, they were trapped within Viola's new world. Or as Sophia would call it: An everlasting nightmare.

 **Alternate Ending Two: Everlasting Nightmare**

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _Finally, the second alternate ending is complete. Not gonna lie, I kinda disturbed myself when I made this. This is probably the darkest thing I'll ever create on this site. This is also the largest thing I've created too, it's a little over sixteen thousand words, which is way more than I thought it would be._

 _Our poor cast though, they been through some rough turmoil in this ending. I'll probably make something happy (A one-shot most likely) for them to counteract the sadness and horror._

 _Anyways, it's December, which means snow and Christmas. I_ might _do a x-mas themed one-shot with Sophia and the gang. (I wanted to do some for Halloween and Thanksgiving, but I couldn't come up with anything interesting to type) But again, this is a maybe, so don't get your hopes up for it._

 _Alright_ _, I've rambled on long enough, I'll see you guys in the next update, whatever and whenever it is. Until next time!_

 ** _Theta-Shuffle_**


End file.
